Hacker News Reader

Balsamicon Liero – Sling'n'shoot Worms Game

Liero dominated my high school computer lab in Sydney, Australia. Such great times. Still adore this game.

Balsamicon Pinball Fantasies assembly source code

For both preservation and nostalgia, this is fantastic to see. Several of my formative years were consumed by Pinball Fantasies on the Amiga. I still play it regularly on FS-UAE and a (seemingly unmaintained / defunct) port on iOS.

Balsamicon Weapons in the battle vs. potholes: The Pothole App

Attempting to automate and crowd source the detection of potholes using the accelerometer and GPS of smart phones is an interesting idea.

I wonder what other municipal activities could be distributed in this way?

I also wonder if the rewards (safer roads and a diluted sense of ownership) is enough to entice people to use the App?

Balsamicon Paypal's fraud prevention routine does it again

I'm left thinking the only reason Paypal works is because the founders were too stupid to realize what they were getting into.

I'm not usually one for mantras, however "stay hungry, stay foolish" comes to mind.

Balsamicon Match.com Acquires Online Dating Site OkCupid

I'd like to garner your opinions: what else could IAC have done in this situation? Or perhaps a better question is what you would have done in their shoes.

One property is threatening the business model of another in a visible way (at least in search engine rankings). I propose that the readership of OkTrends is minimal compared to the wider online dating market, so was this the prudent course of action?

Balsamicon Match.com Acquires Online Dating Site OkCupid

The culture change has already started.

Where did the fantastic "Why You Should Never Pay For Online Dating" article from OkTrends go?

A great exit, however. Congratulations to the team.

Balsamicon Ask HN: Good documentaries to watch?

Just watched it based on (and add support to) your recommendation. George Lois in particular demonstrates a clear and cutting vision that I shall try to stimulate in myself.

Balsamicon The "I Wonder" App

Unless you're in a group, and it becomes a social activity. Unless computers become ubiquitous commodities that represent both consumer product and fashion-like icons of social status. Unless services such as 1-800-GOOG-411 exist.

etc, etc.

Balsamicon Nintendo President: Piracy not behind poor sales

Although I do not disagree with what is being said here, do not overlook the fact that Nintendo, as content distributor (WiiWare) and arbitre of several distribution platforms have a vested interest in downplaying the role of piracy. They are certainly not an impartial observer.

Balsamicon Ask HN: How do you maintain a good balance between a high and low-tech life?

I understand the sentiment expressed here. One thing I've recently done to mediate this is purchase a Kindle: transferring my once isolated consumption of copious content to a social activity around friends and loved ones. Far from a distraction, I find the ability to converse over coffee adds to my understanding and meliorates my memory.

I have thus far resisted smart phones and the like as I find ubiquitous connectivity distracting.

Balsamicon How to learn to be a big company manager?

I've spent the past two years working for one of the monolithic IT consulting firms. Communication overhead is something anyone attempting to understand enterprise software needs to grasp. Omnipresent meetings occur as an individual's defence mechanism. It is a mischaracterisation to treat it as a problem divorced from corporate structure, as they really are two sides to one coin.

Holding a meeting keeps a paper trail of your attempts to solve a problem and dilutes responsibility across all those involved. Hence, despite the fact that all participants likely sit within ten metres of each other a meeting will still be scheduled: complete with calendar invites, hour-length time blocks (as less would not look like the issue is being given sufficient credence) and the scheduling of follow-up meetings.

Additionally, enterprise projects do not consist of harmonious teams. Each team is akin to a project of its own: each with its own corporate structure, politics, budgets, risks and resources. I recently had a manager from one team demand I attend dual hour-long meetings per day for her team. I politely declined, stating that to do so my team would require an additional resource to cover this gap. This did not ingratiate me.

Balsamicon An Entrepreneur Who Took a Chance on Herself

I find it mildly interesting that the NYT article omits CS from her dossier. Does branding her as purely an Economics grad make her more of an 'everyman' and thus result in a more relatable story?

Balsamicon Facebook has acquired Divvyshot (YC W09)

Contrary to the sentiment of the other replies, I feel this is an interesting question. For those nearing the parapet of potential acquisition it would be interesting to know how affirmative one's actions should be.

Balsamicon How to price your iPhone app out of existence

Target market comes into play in this case. Businesses make decisions this way, individuals don't.