skysight-inc/HackerNews huggingface dataset:
The best solution I've found for #2 is Firefox's Awesome Bar. However, that requires you remember at least one word in the title, at which point Google is probably about as effective.
It's a creative and fresh viewpoint. However, I am not so sure if it's going to work. for me at least.
Here's the UK situation with bags:

The Waitrose near me has makes a half-assed effort, whereby no matter how much stuff you have (literally, a heaped shopping cart), the lady will look at you and ask "Do you need a bag?" The idea is that if they ask, sometimes you'll say no, and use fewer bags. Usually I respond with something like "Nah, I'll just take the cart, thanks" or "It's fine, I'm a great juggler" or some other stupid quip.

Marks & Spencer also ask you if you want a bag. If you say yes, they charge you 10 pence PER bag. So if you do a lot of shopping at M&S, you really need to bring your own suitcase or something.

Tesco doesn't give a crap. They find baby seals and tie plastic Tesco bags on their heads.
HTTP Intermediary Layer From Google Could Dramatically Speed Up the Web
What about http://www.archive.org doesn't work for you about #1? It's centralized but this is hardly a practical problem; search is also centralized and much more important.
New TV series go so wrong. They open up all these story lines and then the show gets canceled and you're left frustrated and confused. Sarah Conner chronicles and Kyle XY are two examples.

My solution, a voluntary agency to preapprove tv series to make sure they have adequate funding and buy in from the network to stay alive until the story reaches a conclusion, and that the story is coherent and makes sense. Viewers like me would only watch shows that get this approval.
> the majority of commands you use (clone, pull, push, branch, add) dont require many options at all .. -a -m -b ..

It's not that bad, no, but with svn, I almost never had to use an option to the commands. My impression is that hg and bzr have followed svn's footsteps and have slightly nicer interfaces. That said, I'm relatively happy with git, but I view it as just a tool and not something to get too excited about:-)
You should post this on reddit, I'm sure they will find it interesting.
You shouldn't fabricate a screwdriver! You should fabricate a screwdriver building factory

http://discuss.joelonsoftware.com/default.asp?joel.3.219431....
My advice is if you're working for someone else, work as much as you're paid. In your spare time start a project to make money for yourself. And always remember, there is more to life than work and you'll never get time back so no regrets (just learning experiences).
Hmmm... wonder if it's going to be reporting your usage habits back to google, like the Chrome browser. I'm not going to be touching it with a 30 foot pole till I know for sure it doesn't report back to big brother.
National Research and Education Network for All: Insurmountable Opportunity
Chrome OS launch: Good news for the CrunchPad?
A few years ago, I got my hands on an old cast-iron manual coffee grinder. It makes a huge difference over pre-ground coffee.
Maybe. All I see is that people that are worried about some heritable disease are out $400.

I spent the better part of a year to brush up on genetics (because my former gf worked in a university lab doing a project for her PhD) and this stuff is not something you explain in a leaflet or booklet.

That may be just enough to get them to interpret the data.

Also note that their 'genetics 101' simplifies things to the point that it should qualify as entertainment.

To really interpret this data and to get some idea of what the (potential) impact on your life is you need a lot of background and possibly a multi-hour sit-down with an expert in the field.

And that's all still before looking at things like should a commercial entity have access to your genetic information ?

Note that their privacy policy explicitly permits them to make available to third parties your genetic data, but 'without your name or any other account information'.

Those people should know better, after all what is more identifying than your genome...

And what if they get bought out by some third party that decides to play fast and loose with this information.
You call it humble; I call it encouraging.

I've been considering developing an Android application since I got my HTC Hero about a month ago. The only reason I haven't is because... well, I have other things to do. The potential to eat for free for a while is a good push in the right direction :)
New Megaupload Direct Download Link Hack
I saw a local pizzeria do this in the mid 90s. I thought it was a great idea, but I guess others did not agree with me. The place went out of business and is now a Dunkin' Donuts.
Two week old article. Why is it getting published now?

Just to add some content: 23andme never did complete genomes, they only targeted specific markers. As a consumer product there really wasn't anything compelling, and it was too expensive.

They've now changed their business strategy from consumer to B2B and let go most of the consumer folks.
Yeah but is this C++ API official or is it hacked into the binary by third parties?
It is essentially the hobby project of the spouse of a very wealthy individual, but that doesn't mean it couldn't take off.

The lay-offs are a sign that not all is well though, when their #2 took off a couple of months ago that was a clear indication that things were not going in the right direction.

What puzzled me at the time was why they were doing their best to spin it rather than to just be up-front about the reasons. If 23andme was a an all-out success you can bet that their first-in staff would not be leaving.
What a stupid article. You would think that a "Silicon Alley Insider" would know that it already has a custom OS (window manager/distro) designed especially for it by Fusion Garage, Arrington's partners.

Also you would think an 'insider' would know that a fresh OS would need more customizing and bug fixing for a brand new hardware device than can be done in a reasonable amount of time. Speculatively before Christmas.

The last speculative article I read suggested they were waiting for PixelQI displays, which seems reasonable unlike this twaddle.
What are backtype alerts?
A nice point, but isn't this post a bit hollow? After all, you'd expect someone like Seth Godin to put forward a well-supported argument about a radically new approach (new hammer) and its benefits?
Let's get real, you can make oil for 80-100$ a barrel from coal, and around 200$ a barrel from air and nuclear power. There is nothing magic about long chain hydrocarbons they are just really cheep right now. So we use them for building roads, (Asphalt), lubricants, plastics, fertilizer, and fuel. Something like 20% of our GDP depended on whale oil we found a cheaper alternative. Once supply becomes expensive you will see oil demand fall like a stone.
> Why is it getting published now?

Because posting techcrunch articles is guaranteed karma ;)

> They've now changed their business strategy from consumer to B2B and let go most of the consumer folks.

So much for the 'me' part then.

Even if they didn't do 'whole genome' there might be a freezer there with the samples that they took in, so in the long run when whole genome analysis becomes cheap enough they might do a 'replay'.

They reserve the right to share your genetic data but at the same time they say they will not share your 'personal information' without your consent.

That's the weirdest thing I've ever seen in a privacy statement, for one it is contradictory (genetic data being rather personal), and on top of that it gets the priorities completely wrong.

The only good privacy policy for a company like this would be 'We guarantee that we destroy all information you have supplied us with after we send you your results, this includes any samples and personal data'.

Anything less simply won't do.
Security is illusionary, who would you rather be dependent on, your boss or your own wits ?

I don't think you know just how right you are...I'm planning to quit my job at the end of the month do some 'hustling.' I trust my ability to innovate WAY more than my boss' ability to make money. I've always had an entrepreneurial spirit.

I actually got up at 4 this morning to plan how I am gonna make some money over the Christmas. Sure they can fail, but they can also succeed. It's 50-50

People always say "Well, it could be worse." I say it could be better.

Carpe Diem!
One of Clojure's nicest features is the seq abstraction, which lets you use almost all the data structures, from a String to a JDBC ResultSet, with a first/rest (aka car/cdr) interface.
If this stuff interests you and you haven't read the blind watchmaker yet then find a copy somewhere, it has a chapter on clay that is quite interesting.
What are ideal social communities that support startups?
I own a cafe and I roast my own beans. I won't drink anyone else's coffee unless I am on a roadtrip.

I have one of these http://www.ambexroasters.com/pages/ym5.jsp

Although it's older and not as shiny.
It seems like it's really just starting to kick in now (my oldest is in second grade) so we're taking it as it comes.

We don't have video games either, and I'm starting to think that's where I would "compromise" first (although I would have to convince my wife). In general, though, I think it's easier to take a pretty hard line to start and then find points to compromise on. We have Netflix, too, so there's lots to choose from as far as things to watch. But we know some of their peers can turn the TV on at any time and watch whatever they want, which I find to be pretty scary. That whole "turn the TV to a 'kids' channel and mindlessly absorb whatever comes on for hours everyday" is the scenario we really want to avoid.
Take advantage of Tk
Music Festival Blog
ASP.NET MVC: Validating objects using Enterprise Library validation...
The slacker view:

http://johnlawrenceaspden.blogspot.com/2009/11/horror-of-pro...

I wrote this article after people had a go at me for teaching kids to program. The first half doesn't sound like you, so skim it, but the second half might be relevant. Start at the bit where it says "A well paid job that you don't enjoy is a curse".

You certainly need to be paid by the hour. The problem at the moment is that you're ripping yourself off.

Sometimes people ask me to work 80 hour weeks, but they only do it if it's really critical, and I never feel ripped off by it.

Mostly they're happy with about 35, since they know as well as I do that any more than that on a regular basis and I'm not going to be too productive.
Fred Wilson: Social Recruiting
That isn't really the case. Java's threading can either be green threads or OS threads and there's no way as a programmer to know what the JVM implements on any given platform.
I always assumed if they were making a system OS it was more for netbooks and would be somewhat like Android where it would be specially released with netbooks or notebooks that used it. I could see them maybe making a Xen or VMware version, though.
There are some instructions for using an arbitrary language to control the bot over the network on the site.
Jeff Jonas: Your Movements Speak for Themselves
Schneier on Security: FBI/CIA/NSA Information Sharing Before 9/11
Freshness is great, yes, and the quality of the beans and roast are usually higher from places that actually disclose the roast date, but grind is very important.

Coffee is very much about the extraction: under-extract, and the coffee will have a sour edge; over-extract, and the extra caffeine extracted will bring bitterness to the cup. Using a blade grinder means introducing a huge range of differently-sized solids that will extract at different rates, meaning even if you hit a nice middle ground, you're introducing sour and bitter flavor components into your cup. Burr grinders provide a very even grind and minimize this.

Next time you go to a place that roasts freshly, try to take home a little bit pre-ground. It will have less flavor (due to rapid oxidization), but the flavor should be better: more balanced and consistent (as long as it was a good brew). Don't get me wrong: pull an espresso shot from just-ground coffee, and pull another one from coffee ground 15 minutes ago, and the crema deprecation is pretty amazing. Pre-grinding kills a lot of coffee's oomph. Still, blade-grinding mangles a lot of coffee's hidden potential :)
I think you might be abstracting simplicity in where none exists.
you can opt out of that
Semantic Differential Presentation of Onscreen Typefaces
Do you really have to have severe ADD to be a nerd? I'm super-nerdy by any measure, but have a very long attention span. Most nerds I know are similar -- that's how those ambitious nerd projects actually get finished.

The guys with the long line of abandoned projects behind them aren't true nerds, they're just dilettantes. Like raccoons, compelled to collect shiny things, but never doing anything useful with them.

I also watch one TV show at a time (OK maybe two, so I can avoid commercials), read one book at a time, and don't switch conversational topics in mid-sentence. Can non-ADD nerds like me get any props on the Internet, or are we hopelessly outnumbered?
I'm surprised nobody has linked to the Gervais principle. You fit nicely into his model:

"The losers are not social losers (as in the opposite of “cool”), but people who have struck bad bargains economically – giving up capitalist striving for steady paychecks."

http://www.ribbonfarm.com/2009/10/07/the-gervais-principle-o...

As most are recommending, it seems like it might be time to get out from under your glass ceilings.
I think it is more like learning languages than being a genius.

It's hard work (make that very hard work) but as you get more basic knowledge it becomes easier to integrate stuff that you are learning.

The only thing I would say I've ever truely 'mastered' is C programming, other than that I have lots of things where I can get by and learn from people that really know their stuff.

It is inevitable that it works like a spotlight, you turn it on an area of interest and go all out to learn what you can about it, then as your return-on-investment in time drops off you can decide to continue or quit, usually I quit when I get to the level where I'd have to go 'full-time' in order to advance.

There is just too much interesting stuff to do, no way to be an expert in more than one field.

One of the most interesting things that I've found is that as you do this you keep running in to domain specific knowledge that can fairly easily be translated in to other domains that haven't picked up on that trick yet.

This is a fairly good way to make a living.

As for doing the turning things upside-down and learning at the same time, usually it coincides, but that is not a necessity.

For me it is just a way to keep living fun.
I'd definitely second the recommendation to roast your own. Green beans are cheap, and the you can't really have better control over freshness. Hackers interested in roasting their own should probably just grab a cheap $15–20 hot air popcorn popper. You can actually get a great, consistent (if rushed) roast. I've migrated to bigger, slower machines, but can't say they always do a better job.
It would be cool if they could somehow be able to use windows drivers with an emulation layer. But, this might not be possible...
The underlying question is to what extent do you want your children to be passively absorbed into the prevailing culture. There is a lot about the prevailing culture that we don't endorse, and I would hope that's true for most parents. If left to their own devices without a screen in front of them, our kids can get pretty creative with drawing, making little crafts, building stuff with their toys, reading books they picked out on their own from the library, playing outside, etc. etc. I'll take that over some nostalgic cartoon memories any day.
Consider the mainframe, and, say, CICS. Things in that end of things are now such that IBM and others are making special efforts to recruit youngsters to work in that world. It seems reasonable to suggest that the reason that there is still all that many COBOL and mainframe shops in the world is due to vendor lock-in.

The cost of that? Well, one can sketch out part of the opportunity cost of that. Consider ITA which fuels Orbitz and others. Their technology, running our idea of modern servers, gets at least an order of magnitude better results than the mainframe technology it replaced.

This old iron doesn't even have files or filesystems.
It's also interesting to note that you can select all text to "see" the whitespace code, although that only works for me in Firefox, not in Chrome.
Posted in the comments:

Maybe I'm exuberant in a recent life change, but I think the answer is clear.

Money is a metaphor -- as you said, it's a fabrication that's meaningful only in the company of others who share the delusion, but on a desert island it's just kindling. Money is a metaphor for value and we hope that the transfer of money corresponds or at least correlates to the transfer of value, as it often does.

So, we have this ubiquitous concept that feels like a law of nature because we're soaked in it -- as infants, educated adults, everywhere we see the effects of money. When our worldview is so thoroughly infected by a concept like money, it becomes almost impossible not to apply it to things to which it isn't fundamentally applicable.

Of course it's possible, in the sense of a "dirty hack," to apply money to time as if time is an economic asset, but maybe that's just not true. Take our lives for example. Only a group can make an assessment of the economic value of a given life; for the person, that value is always infinity dollars.

But wait, you say, people choose other things over life all the time! Their country, their friends, their family, etc. They even choose to end their lives early in order to preserve their wealth for living relatives.

Yes! Exactly!

Clearly there are "assets" that can meaningfully compared to a human life (like love and other lives), since people regularly trade their lives for these things. Money, I think, is fundamentally not one of those.

Thought experiment:
----
I'm a rich guy. I'll give you access to an account that has $1,000,000,000 in it. You may not transfer the money, but you may spend it freely, only on yourself. In exchange for this access, I get to kill you right now. What do you say?
----

So, I'm asserting that maybe--like money and lives-- the value of time can't rightly be compared to the value of money, despite how often we do it and how natural it feels, because the scale is too different. Maybe we should work toward a system that identifies things like lives and time, and divorces those things from money entirely.

As individuals the answer is to separate our time from income by building valuable, cash flow positive assets. That's the "Zen Ethic": the only way to live in a world with money that doesn't lead to misery, is to build streams of passive income.
This is well after the fact, but I'll post it here for anyone who might find this thread later, and I'll email you about it.

First off, as other people have said, talk to your wife. Trusting her to be your partner and a source of strength when you need it is a tremendous compliment to her, and shows your relationship is solid.

Second, assess your situation rationally. Compile a budget of what you've actually been spending; you'll be surprised to find out how much of it is discretionary. Got a Netflix account? Cancel it and watch things you already own; better yet, play board- and card-games with the family.

Read the entries on http://sandratayler.livejournal.com/tag/frugal+living to get some tips on living on a budget. Sandra and Howard Tayler (of Schlock Mercenary fame) have done a good job of raising, IIRC, 5 kids and done it on a monthly budget that is less than many New Yorkers spend on a "special occasion" steak dinner.

Third, whatever venture you pursue, build it around a business model so that there is or will eventually be income. Then, make sure you don't slack, but don't go nuts either--treat it like a job with defined working hours but set aside specific time to be with your family. It's important that neither you nor your wife feel that you (lostsheep) are contributing to the family and not just lazing around letting her do all the work. It's also important that you don't trade one workaholic addiction for another.

Good luck, and I hope some of this helps.
Most coffee is still good when it was roasted a week ago (whole-bean, of course, and true, a week is starting to push it). The problem is that plenty of places—Starbucks, etc.—sell several-month-old beans.
I'll bet money that they don't let you theme your personal page. It goes against Facebook's central philosophy.
Try bookmooch.com for books exchange. Its pretty good, and you just have to pay for postage, the service itself is free.
The API is third party. I'm pretty sure they are using this:

http://www.broodwarai.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=322
http://code.google.com/p/bwapi/
Manage virtualized sprawl with VRMs
Do you use Zotero? If so, how does it or does it not fit your needs?
"Writing great documentation: you need an editor"

I use Emacs.

(Sorry, couldn't resist.)
Good to know. Going to sit on my account for a while.
To anyone interested, I asked this question over on the InfoChimps blog. Response I got clued me in to just how little I knew of Twitter's TOS: http://blog.infochimps.org/2009/11/11/twitter-census-publish...

So disregard what I said in the context of Twitter data.
I've been using Backblaze for a few months now. I'm very pleased with the "continuous" upload option, and it doesn't degrade my machine performance noticeably. I have not, however, gotten around to testing the restore process, which means I don't really know how useful it is as a backup service. Yeah, that's a failing on my part.
I don't know if it's been there before uservoice (I think so), but Dreamhost has this same thing on it's feature request area. You have a number of votes, can see all the requests, vote, and get them back once/when the feature you asked for is implemented.
The first thing that you must realize is that you are NOT alone with this unfortunate thought process. Some background on me...I am a motivational speaker, writer, personal trainer, entrepreneur, life coach, etc. The reason I provide this background information is more for social proof than anything else because I have spent years of my life studying the human psyche, identity theory, and emotional pain. What I have learned is that our country has been inflicted with a disease, a plague of far reaching magnitude, where almost every person is negatively affected. I have coined this catastrophic dilemma as an IDENTITY CRISIS where you begin to live the life that someone or something has created on your behalf. This is what you are experiencing because at some point their was a "PAIN" which surfaced in your world, that never had the opportunity to heal, but in order to eliminate this emotion, you subconsciously allowed this wound to scab over. As you have evolved, this pain was never healed, and instead masked, but now it has SURFACED once again. I would like to assist you through this process because I have worked with countless people who also experienced exactly what you are going through. In the meantime, please invest in yourself, and visit my website (www.jaredyellin.com) and subscribe. Everything is FREE and I believe this is will enable you to begin the process of thinking differently about your life. With all of this being said, I want you to remember, that you are NEVER alone!
Building an effective online community signup process
I wish this could come out better than it sounds. I like Seth Godin, but you are expecting too much.

All his posts are "a bit hollow".

He tries to provoke thought, not offer solutions.

There is nothing wrong with that; just a new age philosopher?

OFF Topic: I wish he would have offered a link to the study he mentioned. That would be like someone blogging about him and not offering a link.