news.ycombinator.com
Help choose which Linux distro saves the earth from alien invasion.https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=6880434This post is for something I have made. So it is, by definition, self promoting. But I know many of you will be interested. So, with that in mind, I'm going to post it anyway.I have almost finished a novel. And I need help getting some dedicated writing time to get the last ~10k words down and final edits in place.The book, “Steve’s Laptop”, is a Sci-Fi Comedy about a developer named Steve who, while working at “the world’s largest software company” near Seattle, is trying to save the world from an alien invasion. Primarily with his laptop. Hence the title.If I were forced to compare it to something I would call it: “They Live” + “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” + “The IT Crowd“.I'm holding a "Help me finish this book" sale/fundraiser. A pay-what-you-want deal where you get my existing books, and get a chance to take part in shaping a small part of the book itself.Specifically, you get to vote on which Linux distro is used on "Steve's Laptop". If you want to see Arch save the world fDec 10, 2013 1:03 PM
news.google.com
Arrested in Port Harcourt, detained in Abuja, alleged notorious kidnappers seek freedomhttps://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMixgFBVV95cUxNSDNYVUp5VHB6d2tHNy1HMzllbHMydFRlLVJRb3A5SWIxZkZ6UkZ4ZmE3TWdoS1I1QVpTdno3VXFrNENuYzVhZ0lBT3RqNXFhTGktRW1hS2w2Z3p1a3lJZEVNUjFiVFdKRnhsdmZkeFNtMUJHTGhtUzFxeDVMTE1UNkZMWjYyU2VpSEs5S3VyWkxBV1dPblgtUnV5dWc3SE00NkNyT0JDaVhZYS02ZXJrVTJNSEpXVUpQRl9KcmpzSDlmb0FfX2c?oc=5Arrested in Port Harcourt, detained in Abuja, alleged notorious kidnappers seek freedom Premium Times NigeriaOct 24, 2013 7:00 AM
youtube.com
World's Roundest Objecthttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZMByI4s-D-Y%3Fhd%3D1The world's roundest object helps solve the longest running problem in measurement -- how to define the kilogram. A kilogram isn't what it used to be. Literally. The original name for it was the 'grave', proposed in 1793 but it fell victim to the French Revolution like its creator, Lavoisier. So begins the tale of the most unusual SI unit. The kilogram is the only base unit with a prefix in its name, and the only one still defined by a physical artifact, the international prototype kilogram or IPK.But the problem with this definition has long been apparent. The IPK doesn't seem to maintain its mass compared to 40 similar cylinders minted at the same time. The goal is therefore to eliminate the kilogram's dependence on a physical object. Two main approaches are being considered to achieve this end: the Avogadro Project and the Watt Balance.The Avogadro project aims to redefine Avogadro's constant (currently defined by the kilogram -- the number of atoms in 12 g of carbon-12) and reverseAug 3, 2013 12:21 PM
bing.com
Releasing a Stuck Anchorhttp://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6a8983c2376145e5b106f0d39ecccd8f&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.boatingmag.com%2Fhow-to%2Freleasing-stuck-anchor%2F&c=539776366864108078&mkt=en-usYou’ve anchored for a while to relax, but when it comes time to pull up, the anchor won’t budge. Don’t stress over that stuck anchor. Try these tips for using the boat to break a stuck anchor free.Aug 30, 2012 4:55 PM
news.ycombinator.com
My mission to solve the problem with Facebook, Google+ etc.https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3838747Now I know everyone has their own issues with the current state of social networks. Some have issues with privacy, some have issues with too many friends, some have issues with spam. My issue is with all the above, but more importantly I am sick of the fact that I look like everyone else and I don't own the content. I am being controlled and it needs to stop.I am tired of feeling like I live in an apartment complex where I have no control over how things function or look. It's not even like a complex anymore. It's more like a prison.Best quote in a long time..."If you aren't paying for a product, you are the product."Your data is being sold to advertisers so they can find sneaky was to throw their ads in front of your faces. And who is going to take the time out to actually go through on FB and customize your ad experience so they are relevant to you? Not me.For the past year and a half I have been working on a solution to solve these problems and many others. It's been a very difficulApr 13, 2012 8:39 PM
news.ycombinator.com
Advice needed: what's a destitute hacker to do?https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3715834First of all I ask that anyone commenting please leave off criticism of how I got into the situation I did. Trust me, I've already thought over millions of times how I must be an idiot to have gotten into the situation I'm in, and if I could go back and make different decisions I would. But right now I'm not exactly in the best shape to handle criticism, and don't need to be convinced of anything. What I really need is advice for improving my situation, or any info about programs or employers, etc. that I don't know about. I never had a course in high school or college on how to deal with poverty, even though that might have been really helpful right about now.I graduated from a state university in 2009 with a degree in Computer Science. I graduated with honors and a 3.81 gpa. My gpa could've been a lot higher, but I struggled with untreated clinical-level anxiety throughout school which lead to severe procrastination or simply not turning in certain projects. I got a 1520 on my SATs, Mar 16, 2012 11:47 PM
news.ycombinator.com
Ask HN: Is that important for a developer to have an impressive personal page?https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2407157I am a Python developer with good design background. I am willing to expand my freelance activity in Python web development area now. I have seen tons of visually appealing impressive personal pages of web designers. Those that are more web graphic designers working with HTML/CSS/JS than hardcore programmers. I bet you saw much of them too on the web. They have professional look and feel giving you an image of the person. I tried to find something similar for the programmers to inspire myself for creating my personal page. I searched for 'web developer portfolio', 'web developer personal page' and some other keywords on Google. I didn't find anything as impressive as web designers' pages. All I could see were some boring CVs or something like CVs, sometimes with a small photo of a person and more or less average look. Obviously everyone is the best at what he is the best and programmers sell their technical/analytical skills. They can show perfectly structured code to impress a potentiApr 4, 2011 4:15 PM
news.ycombinator.com
Ask HN: Does changing locales to fix productivity doldrums work for you?https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=757407The article about the creative bliss of moving to an attractive, cheaper foreign environment to bootstrap a startup:http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=756570... got me thinking on a somewhat tangential question: Does moving around to change your environment actually help you work? Or is it solving the wrong problem the wrong way?From a personal state-of-mind angle that the author is pushing, I guess I'm not entirely sold on the fact that a change of scenery will let a hundred flowers of creativity bloom - in a sustainable way - to an extent that confers upon a startup a meaningful economic advantage. The cost differences might, but I'm not so sure about the aesthetic/spiritual quality.I've moved around a lot in my 23 years. I emigrated from Russia with my parents when I was 6, and moved around the US several times during childhood. Within the last few years spent in Georgia, I've moved several times within the general area I inhabited, including twice within Atlanta. When I was young,Aug 12, 2009 5:53 AM
bing.com
For Skybus, High Load Factor Doesn't Mean Successhttp://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6a8974bd3c44472498d6b18535888b61&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.cbsnews.com%2Fnews%2Ffor-skybus-high-load-factor-doesnt-mean-success%2F&c=12739700572773140322&mkt=en-usThe December DOT data is now in, and though I haven't had a lot of time to poke through the data yet, I have found a couple interesting things. For today, let's focus on Columbus-based Skybus. Even ...Mar 18, 2008 3:04 PM
bing.com
ZBrush painting-modeling now Mac OS X compatiblehttp://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6a899ca29e0f4592ab00260285e0aca5&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.macworld.com%2Farticle%2F157775%2Fzbrush-2.html&c=6806554994682135642&mkt=en-usPixologic has released ZBrush 1.55b, an update to their 2D, 2.5D and 3D painting and modeling tool. ZBrush is an image creation and processing tool, powered by a real-time rendering engine. Based on ...Jan 30, 2003 4:00 PM
bing.com
TheSkillsMarket launch the iProfile module for EZAccesshttp://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6a89698de47a43a0a9987198d30fcf60&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.onrec.com%2Fnews%2Fnews-archive%2Ftheskillsmarket-launch-the-iprofile-module-for-ezaccess&c=14431562566529301145&mkt=en-usPersonic Inc., provider of Human Capital Management solutions, and TheSkillsMarket, inventor of the iProfile, have formally launched the iProfile module for EZAccess to reduce the time consultants ...May 9, 2002 5:00 PM
