news.ycombinator.com
On Buying Silicon Valleyhttps://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=500785Silicon Valley 2If one wishes to replicate the Valley's success and status as a startup hub one needs to mimic the ecosystem and support structures that have grown up around it, the angels, VC funds, (money) legal expertise, financial infrastructure (enabling infrastructure) and entrepreneurial culture (residual). The money and enabling infrastructure will accrete around the residual if it exists, quickly or slowly. Paul Graham has proposed that for US$30m-$100m this could probably be achieved in any US city fulfilling certain criteria, with greater or lesser likelihood of success dependent on the degree to which it fulfils them.The money can realistically come from three types of sources, governments of whatever level, private individuals, or corporate bodies, profit-oriented or not, or some combination of the three, acting in concert. Given the electoral dynamics they labour under it is unlikely that any politician or party in serious danger of being out of power 10 years after the fMar 2, 2009 11:29 PM
news.ycombinator.com
Ask YC: Auction-based pricing?https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=402131We are organizing a coworking office space in Sofia, Bulgaria. One of our biggest problems is finding the right price to ask for rent, as the difference in income for freelancers here can be as big as 15 times.Therefore, we are leaning towards auctioning off the 30 office spaces one by one. (Technically, the 30 best bids will win, with the minimal bid being the cost of electricity and water for the person.)Pros:- Maximal usage of office space. We better have 1 person pay $5/mo instead of leaving the workspace empty.- If this is a blind auction, the best bid could be as much as twice the average.- We can accommodate people from different levels of income (e.g., underpaid artists).Cons:- Confusion on behalf of people wanting to sign up.- If the auction is open (everyone can see the bids) we won't get such a good price, because we don't think there will be more than 100 people bidding for the 30 places.- Winner's curse. People may feel tricked if they pay more than their peers.- We won't Dec 18, 2008 2:37 PM
news.ycombinator.com
Ask HN: Do you think primarily in English?https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=387921Rather, do you think primarily in your native language, or more in terms of abstract imagery?I've noticed that rather than forming images in my head to represent ideas, I will instead often think in English. For example, if I'm working through a logic problem, I will repeat the various elements of the problem in my head in English repeatedly until I solve it.I'm unfortunately unilingual. English is the only human language I have ever learned. I've noticed that when I speak phrases in Spanish, I'm actually speaking English in my head. It's like a lookup table. By that I mean, let's say I want to communicate "How are you?". Rather than attempting to reason through this task in Spanish (by trying to communicate the individual elements "how", 'in what way', "are", 'your state of being', and "you" 'the person I am communicating with'), I try to remember the phrase in Spanish that corresponds to the ordered set of words "How are you?". So it is rote memorization -- I'm not thinking in SpanisDec 6, 2008 6:54 AM
news.ycombinator.com
Trader Joe's Is Not Your Average Business (2002)https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=340188One day a few years ago, a guy at a Boston financial firm called up Trader Joe's headquarters and said he'd like to tour a store with a group of visiting Japanese investors. The brass at Trader Joe's was blunt: "You can't come." Not "We'd rather you didn't," or "Please don't." The visit was officially forbidden.This led to a predictable go-round about it being a free country and all, and Trader Joe's finally said okay, okay, you can come, but you don't get a tour. And as the investment company guy tells it, the tension in the air during the visit was thick enough to cut with a machete.Well, you probably can't blame the folk at Trader Joe's. They've got a phenomenal thing going, and don't want to give it all away. Some observers think that sales per square foot at Trader Joe's are hovering at about $1,000 -- twice the level of typical supermarkets. And with between about 70% to 85% of its products being private label (depending on who you ask), Trader Joe's has reached a benchmark otherOct 22, 2008 4:19 PM
news.ycombinator.com
Ask YC: How can I guide my brother towards success in school/life?https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=258688For certain reasons of family dysfunction I have a greater than usual parental role with my youngest brother. I want to ask YC for advice to help my brother become successful in school and life in general.Some background information is necessary. I am the eldest sibling and was the typical high achiever in school and university. He was also successful in school at an early age, and used to joke about beating my own achievements. I encouraged this friendly rivalry, but over the last few years he seems to have withdrawn. I think he is somewhat ashamed of this which makes him afraid to be honest with me. This makes it difficult for me to know if I am helping him or if he even wants my help.He was one of the top students at the local public school and just managed to get in the best public school in the state. Entrance to this school is based only upon academic merit, not money. He's been there two years and since has seemed to become disillusioned with academic achievement. This might be Jul 28, 2008 3:40 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
Farewell to an era as Darling Harbour wharves closehttp://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6a8a88b6f647434d911235e6b59bd5e3&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2007-09-28%2Ffarewell-to-an-era-as-darling-harbour-wharves-close%2F684156&c=9363870186599463902&mkt=en-usThe closure of the wharves at Sydney's Darling Harbour tonight will be remembered as a sad but significant event in maritime history, a museum director says. The container ship Southern Moana is due ...Sep 27, 2007 8:18 PM
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Memories of Matsuko (2007)http://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6a89b72d27514179a8dfbd665224e973&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.moviefone.com%2Fmovie%2Fmemories-of-matsuko%2FOdIHevHzGyYPgD30KO7IM3%2Fmain%2F&c=4276821421897262975&mkt=en-usWhile combing through the belongings of his recently deceased aunt, Matsuko, nephew Sho pieces together the crucial events that sank Matsuko's life into a despairing tragedy.Jul 6, 2007 5:00 PM
bing.com
Combinatorial solid-state chemistry of inorganic materialshttp://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6a8966850fe441d1bd3dac9de7200c08&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nature.com%2Farticles%2Fnmat1157&c=9984681213134851209&mkt=en-usThroughout history, scientists and engineers have relied on the slow and serendipitous trial-and-error process for discovering and developing new materials. In ...Jun 30, 2004 5:00 PM
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Troubleshooting An Undercharge of Refrigeranthttp://www.bing.com/news/apiclick.aspx?ref=FexRss&aid=&tid=6a89f12417584366b60035a5e7be2551&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.achrnews.com%2Farticles%2F88937-troubleshooting-an-undercharge-of-refrigerant&c=3358899424239190307&mkt=en-usTroubleshooting modern refrigeration and/or air conditioning systems requires a thorough knowledge of the refrigeration system and its functions. However, to be a good troubleshooter, a technician ...May 4, 2002 9:00 PM
