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255martyn

25 karma · joined September 13, 2012

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255martyn··on Heroku Postgres - GIS Support Now Available
Is it possible to use this independently of other heroku services? We're on ec2, but this is a perfect fit.

Edit: If this is up to date https://devcenter.heroku.com/articles/dynos

Then heroku uses ec2, so it should be possible.

255martyn··on JabbR - Collaborative chat done right
How does this compare to hipchat? It looks very similar.
255martyn··on There are no 10x developers, but there are 1/10 ones
Hah, I don't think the parent post is literal. The point being that it's easy to be a 10x developer if you have 10x the focus.
255martyn··on What gofmt -r can do for you
This is great. I want a tool like this for other languages.
255martyn··on A note from Keith
I don't fully understand why this makes me so angry, but it does. The company you work for has no right to know anything about your personal life. To be expected to disclose things to HR is ridiculous.
255martyn··on Ask HN: How do you find product ideas?
I think market research helps. One approach could be: investigate the competition, see how your idea differentiates, and create a simple landing page to draw traffic to.
255martyn··on The First 10: Week 0. My blog about bootstrapping a new product.
I'm aiming to be completely transparent through this whole process. Feedback is appreciated, and feel free to ask me anything.
255martyn··on FullContact API gives marketing superpowers to growth hackers
At first I was skeptical about fullcontact, afraid of the big-brother like effect. Then I met the CTO at a hackathon, and it turns out he's really concerned about privacy and respecting opt-outs. I highly recommend the company.
255martyn··on Show HN: HTML5 API for multivariate testing
Hi everyone,

We created this project in response to seeing many clients making changes blindly based on gut feeling, and not being completely satisfied by the existing multivariate testing solutions. We wanted a simple way to write variants in HTML(or haml or jade).

For those of you unfamiliar with this design technique, new designs are tested on a statistically significant portion of your users to test for higher conversion rates.

It's also MIT licensed and works with google analytics: https://github.com/255BITS/xander

Thanks for any feedback you have!

255martyn··on YC 13 emails?
Nope, but I fully expect a rejection letter :D
255martyn··on Show HN: Just got "sued" by a company. Fun stuff.
That is strange. I'd post the letter on my twitter with a hashtag to them.
255martyn··on CodeWars: the Hacker Society where devs compete
I want more points. WHY???
255martyn··on Show HN: I wanted to use my skills to lift up others, this is the result
Cool use of clojure. I like your background and typography choices.

A few things:

1. Creating a new account directs me http://gratefulplace.com/favorites/3 and says "Sorry, there's nothing here." Could be because I favorited a post before creating an account.

2. Have you thought about integration with twitter? Seems perfect for quotes. Plus, marketing.

3. Keep making cool stuff! With a little work you could have "the angry place" :) !

255martyn··on [dead]
There's a popular story linking to this domain on the front page right now.
255martyn··on Should Browsers Be Allowed To Detect The iPad Mini
Very interesting! I'd bet on this being a bug. Hopefully apple fixes it.
255martyn··on My interview with Google is tomorrow, any advice?
Don't worry about it. Hard advice I know, but google is just as desperate as everyone else for quality candidates. Get some sleep, drink some coffee before your interview, and just talk through the problems as you get to them. If this is your first interview it's likely a phone interview. They usually last about an hour, and they just want to make sure you can think through a problem.

Also, regardless of whether it works or not, don't let it affect you. I know some really brilliant people who couldn't get into google, but are masterful coders.

255martyn··on Your Rate - A better way to calculate your hourly freelance rate
Great job on the site! I love sites that look great and work well like this.
255martyn··on Zapier (YC S12) Raises $1.2M Seed Round
Hey congratulations!!! Zapier.com is a great idea wonderfully executed.
255martyn··on Validation Board, A Free Tool to Vet Your Startup Idea
I found the breakdown between customer and problem hypothesis very interesting. I'm currently working on a tool to store ideas(blatant self promotion: http://www.255ideas.com). I was very interested in the customer/problem/solution hypothesis model. I think having directed fields may help guide the user in writing down their idea. But I also have to wonder, does it force the idea into a structure that it wouldn't take otherwise? Perhaps it would filter ideas that aren't focused on creating on solving a problem. Awesome ideas might not make the cut, for example, draw something.

IMO the most effective way to show an idea is with a prototype. It's also the hardest.

I also like the ability to add assumptions that are validated/invalidated. The focus on business plan is very cool.

Thanks for the link.

255martyn··on Longtime tech recruiter shatters the engineering shortage myth
Hey man, that sucks but it's nothing you can't get out of. If you have to go work consulting, or some entry-level thing for a while. Apply everywhere. If you are a decent developer with a CS degree, you should eventually land a job. It may not be the perfect role right away, but there's nothing wrong with climbing the career ladder.
255martyn··on Stealth mode and other brilliant strategies
I almost didn't realize this was sarcasm :)
255martyn··on BI : "Don't fund anyone over 30"
This sort of nonsense should be illegal. I've met plenty of people over 30 who still learn new stuff at an astonishing rate. I've also met people 25 and below who resisted learning new things like the plague. It's all in your mindset not your age.
255martyn··on Ask HN: How do you fight depression?
Hey man, I've been there. People can give you all sorts of advice here like exercise, heavy drinking, or whatever. But you really should see a professional psychiatrist, someone who knows about this stuff. A good one won't just give you happy pills, they will determine if you need them. And there's nothing wrong with needing them if you do! We live in the future, where sicknesses can be healed. Having your brain have irrational thoughts of guilt and suicide is a sickness. One that can be treated. So go schedule an appointment now.