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CaptainMorgan

565 karma · joined July 29, 2008

Drink responsibly.

Cheers

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CaptainMorgan··on Ask HN: What type of Biz Credit Card do you have?
Right now I'm using American Express. I was using Visa/Mastercard for quite some time, but lately and after reviewing what it offers, American Express has been too good to pass up. What I found to be of maximum value, was its deals for shopping at selected vendors and you get three times the point for every dollar.

On a side note, like most of us, if I use a number a lot, I tend to remember it, and that goes for credit card numbers... comes in real handy when you don't have the card on your person. But switching to AE was ironic because it's not a typical 16-digit number, in fact, it's not even sixteen digits, but fifteen - but in an odd sequence(4-6-5), which I found to be interesting since every credit card I've ever used(even debit cards) have been 16 digits in groups of four numbers. :)

CaptainMorgan··on Tell HN: Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas everyone!
CaptainMorgan··on Ask HN: Where do you go for hacking help?
I wouldn't say 'lately', thankfully IRC has been around for quite some time.
CaptainMorgan··on Ask HN: Where do you go for hacking help?
Google goes without saying...

As Tichy alluded to, I make heavy use of IRC in what I have learned to be are some polite and efficient channels. It takes a while to see which channels are going to help you and which are just going to waste your time, although the latter is easier to spot.

Sometimes I find forums to be too slow and good only for search purposes - in IRC, if I have a problem with Linux, Windows, or a programming language that can't be easily found in a timely search session, then there are an abundance of folks willing to help out in real-time. A lot of folks knock IRC for the shit that tends to float around, but I just keep my client open all the time and then go to it when I need to ask a question. It's kind of like my own support team that I haven't paid for in terms of currency. If you've served your time over the years, such as helping others out, then your service will be answered in kind when you have a problem - it's almost like a respect has been built upon, folks remember you; some channels have karma points to increase the reputation of active helpers.

Some of the best professional working relationships I've built have come from IRC, which these days I talk to and consult via direct IM, say with Pidgin instead of clogging the channels.

If you decide to use IRC, I have the same handle there too. :) Hope to see you there!

Mailing lists that are specific to the larger issue, such as a list for a framework, in my experience have shown to be more helpful than forums... your results may vary.

CaptainMorgan··on Ask HN: Should I take the plunge?
You certainly appear to have an abundance of education that should assist you tremendously...

A born financial conservative, I say go with Option 1 - but note that I have completely no experience in these types of ventures.

What I can offer is that in this time of economic turmoil, if you happen to be doing alright - you don't need Warren Buffet to tell you that now is a nice time to buy as things are on sale, even if we haven't completely hit bottom yet. Now that only relates to the market and stocks specifically, but apply that to your idea - startup costs specifically, mustn't they be low too? Supplies, equipment, all marked and coming down due to businesses going belly-up. You fancy open source, so that's a cost saver too... heck, you've got an MBA and you're asking us about plunging, mortgages and finances?

I say keep at your goal in the moonlight, pay off deficits as much as possible, that way you'll have less to worry about when you do take the plunge. I'm not really impressed with the numbers showing page views - your company could go bankrupt for some illegal exposure that you didn't foresee occurring. What I am concerned about is how much can you afford, and/or how much can you risk? If you don't have a backup plan, I say you have no plan - hence the cushion that the 35% would provide.

Best of luck.

CaptainMorgan··on Ask YC: Does music help programmer concentrate better?
For me, I think working on systems and programming comes down to two different types of music. If I'm performing some system maintenance or deep system work or related programming, I find that techno/dance/trance helps... specifically soundtracks to some of my favorite movies that had techno in them are great for getting the draining mood effect that system programming can sometimes have on me. Miami Vice soundtrack has some great tracks that when listening keeps me feeling like I'm /solving a problem/ when I'm deep into the mix... Hackers, the movie soundtrack, is another good one that I like; Swordfish is another good one.

When it comes to creativity and problem solving at the development level, I find that like others here, either no music or classical music on low volume assists the concentration. Beethoven, Bach, and Mozart, etc. I truly find classical helpful... I read once that it actually stimulates the proper receptors in the brain that involve critical thinking, but I'm unable to find that link as a source. I stumbled upon classical years ago at random I think... I never liked it before then and I'm certain for some it can be an acquired taste.

Cheers

CaptainMorgan··on Ask HN: What does your room look like?
Very nice place...

But gotta ask, what's with the all the separate pieces of paper on the table? I assume it's a game of some sort, considering the amount of different beverage glasses... can't figure out what game.

Cheers

CaptainMorgan··on [dead]
Hmm... interesting... they must be having issues with the release.
CaptainMorgan··on Starting Computer Science: A Good Web Development Enviroment for Linux?
For the budding student, Ubuntu is a fantastic idea. Good idea also with LAMP. I recommend using simply phpmyadmin for your backend work as it's simple and intuitive. Get XChat and stay tuned to the #ubuntu, #python, #apache, channels etc for instant assistance. I believe there's a Dr. Python IDE/Interpreter, similar to Dr. Scheme... if you look in Synaptic and do a search for python, you'll find a few IDEs you can install and take for a whirl. I have Netbeans and Eclipse installed, but for quick throwaway programs, nothing beating the terminal, Vi and/or Gedit.

Best of luck!

CaptainMorgan··on Job offer
Wasn't the one submitted to HN requiring a mere $100? Imagine that!? :) How nice of them to lower the prices they were going to pay the developer...
CaptainMorgan··on Ask YC: Laser Eye Surgery?
My prescription was approximately the same as yours... I thought my vision was so bad that it couldn't be done. I had -6.00 in one eye and -6.50 in the other and LASIK was the best decision I ever made. Shop around for quality doctors, and do your research... I found that given the degree of nearsightedness, it really came down to your eye's topology, which if examined correctly(through a 3-D wave imaging system), explains the features of your eye in detail and profoundly assists in determining whether or not you're a candidate... here's a short bit on it: http://www.lasikaide.com/Lasik-Wave-Front.aspx it's very similar to brain scanning systems and MRIs...

This is just my experience. But FYI, nearsightedness is exactly what these procedures are designed for. Farsighted folks, to my knowledge, do not qualify for LASIK.

CaptainMorgan··on Ask YC: Can a single person develop a website?
"Can a single person develop a website?"

Absolutely! Personally, I've lost track of the number of trivial websites I've created... sites of some value, exactly three.

It can be done.

CaptainMorgan··on Ask YC: Single founder company with prototype, how do I improve my odds of being accepted.
webwright offers some great insight here. mcotton, just wanted to say best of luck to you. And if the others aren't willing to commit, give them an ultimatum and then part ways if things don't work out. Definitely go it alone though if you've got the drive.
CaptainMorgan··on Ask YC: Laser Eye Surgery?
Drops are a refresher and I use them roughly 1-2 times a day. I can tell you first hand that I'd much rather deal with eye drops than fumbling around with clunky glasses.
CaptainMorgan··on Learn while doing?
As a suggestion, based on your background, pointed out by qhoxie, and provided your Javascript history, I think Perl would be a great language to do your sysadmin, educational and general fun apps. I think you'll find it very fun and highly useful. Hypothetically, it should transition well into those paying apps you touch upon.

I haven't gone through the startup process you speak of, but I can tell you it's not just limited to the CS grads.

Best of luck to you!

CaptainMorgan··on Ask YC: What's your day job?
I'm a networking systems engineer but my heart is in software development. I've developed small programs to assist my day to day tasks, take part in open source projects, have written a blog or two to discuss technology as I see it and my book reading list is endless. In a year or two I see myself transitioning into the software side of the company after acquiring my degree and having some of those side projects to showcase what I can do. I guess I could say that I am currently and primarily a systems hacker by day-job, and software hacker by hobby with the goal of making it a profession.

Asking a question is great on HN, but you should preface it with your answer to your own question... not a hard and fast rule obviously, but for questions like this it would certainly be nice to hear about what you do too. :)

CaptainMorgan··on Poll: How late do you stay up?
This is an interesting look on it... didn't know it was actually a classified disorder. While my sleep cycle is pretty mixed, for the most part I can't sleep during the normal phases of the 24 period. Further, I don't have an exercise problem... I just do it whenever I feel up to it. My sleep cycle started to change rapidly when I worked the graveyard shift for my first professional job... did that for about 3-4 years, which really messed me up sleep-wise.

The one thing I love about night-hacking is the serious lack of distractions. It assists me greatly in concentrating... at least in my neck of the woods there is less distractions.

CaptainMorgan··on Ask HN: What would you put on the wall behind your desk?
I got this for the exact reasons you describe: http://www.thinkgeek.com/homeoffice/posters/6a93/ The night effect just seemed really cool to me... I love this poster... it's also much better seeing it in person - I don't think the TG site's picture does it justice.

I also like the Linux distro time line poster that used to be linked from here to KDE.org: http://www.codinghorror.com/blog/archives/000842.html Not sure what happened to it, but if I could get it I would.

CaptainMorgan··on Ask YC: Learning Lisp
silentbicycle also recommended the Little Schemer books. But for me personally, while they may work for you or someone else... I found that they didn't work for me. Not to say that I have a weight problem, but I love food and food is the theme throughout these books. I like to watch my weight and my sense of control with food is not that stellar; and about three-quarters of the way through the book I realized I wasn't going to make it through to the end or with the sequel: Seasoned Schemer. The food they use to bring their concepts full circle just don't do it for me. Thus, I'm yet another one for SICP or PG's book.

I always recommend Applications Programming in ANSI C by Johnsonbaugh if you're interested in learning C. It's got a great scientific and engineering theme.

While I'm not sure about your area of the world, I know that in my area books at the bricks & mortar stores are ridiculously expensive. Thus, I always do my book buying at places like Amazon and I suggest you do too.. especially if the book you're looking for in the Borders store doesn't carry your desired book. I find the stores like Barnes & Noble to be great places for eye candy... exploring the books they have, sitting in their comfy chairs and making notes on the books I'm going to buy online later. :)

Best of luck to you!

CaptainMorgan··on WordPress or TypePad or....?
If you don't want the programming and behind the scenes nature, maybe Wordpress or Typepad to get you up and running quickly without a fuss.

If you don't mind getting your hands dirty with ultra-customizing every facet of your blog without closed-source woes, Joomla or Movable Type. The latter of which I've been using for about 1.5 years now and am absolutely in love with. That's not to say you can't get up and running quickly with these, but the level of customization they offer are top notch and take a little more time and patience. You can get right into their source code and make your own plugins... in my opinion these also have that "professional"-ism attribute as well.

CaptainMorgan··on Poll: Would you like to see this site become CS/Startup related only?
Thank you for your suggestion.. but I like the simplistic and minimal nature of HN. Further, I think what really gets to me more is the submits requiring a subscription.
CaptainMorgan··on Poll: Would you like to see this site become CS/Startup related only?
This is a tough vote for me, because I enjoy spending my time with CS/hacker related content and yet I fancy politics.

But what I do have a problem with is the links to subscription-only content. Very often, it appears that the Wall Street Journal articles are submitted and approved to HN, but when I go to try and view this article(usually with a great title- often that might be something I would like to read), it turns out that I need to be a subscriber to the WSJ - hogwash! If this is all about what good hackers would find interesting, IMO, it should be in the realm of the free too. In other words, articles that require a subscription should not be submitted... unless of course all of HN's readers have a subscription and I'm just missing out...

CaptainMorgan··on [dead]
"Temporary Error (502)

We’re sorry, but your Gmail account is currently experiencing errors. You won’t be able to use your account while these errors last, but don’t worry, your account data and messages are safe. Our engineers are working to resolve this issue.

Please try accessing your account again in a few minutes."

Wow! This is a first for me...

CaptainMorgan··on What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop
Your requirements are obviously different than mine. And I'm not sure where you got yours, but my Thinkpad runs at about 5-5.5 lbs... far from close to seven. By your response, it appears you misread my requirements. I agree it's not the lightest, but maybe I should have said it is a dream compared to my previous T43 which feels more like a weighted brick. But emphasis in my post was on ruggedness... which I'll take any day over weight. In that bag of four Portege's or one Protege and whatever else, I'm more concerned with picking up that laptop where I left off - in top condition, which is tough to say when you got a bag stuffed and who knows what could happen to it in transit. Thinkpads have good investment and therefore resale value and I'm not looking for laptops that are fancy on the shell, not coming close to the levels in durability that a Thinkpad does.
CaptainMorgan··on What does a Hacker look for in a new laptop
If it were me I wouldn't go with a Celeron; for performance and cache reasons the Pentium M is the wiser decision. Maybe if you're preferring wattage and battery versus overall performance you'd go with Celeron. I run IDE's, profiling and debuggers galore so I need what the Centrino offers.

All great points mentioned here. Lightweight; you can get real light these days without being a DR. I love widescreen ever since I bought my new Thinkpad T61p and the poor displays on the Thinkpads are a thing of the past. I highly disagree that Thinkpads are ugly - they're made for efficiency and professionalism, not for show. Linux; my machine came with SLED of which I partitioned for my love of Ubuntu - gotta have Linux for kernel hacking and that obsessive need for ultimate control of your OS.

All that said, I'm a power user and by that I literally mean I handle my laptop ruggedly(and I'm sincerely not a klutz). For this reason I need a Thinkpad for always on the go and durable performance. They take a beating and their customer service(warranty related) is the best in the business. Had many other brands that crapped out after six to eight months on average - Thinkpads last on average three years before I call in for warranty service(high resale value). My T61p is both lightweight, high performance, widescreen, and allows up to 4 GB of RAM, rugged and goes with me everywhere while taking bumps and bruises along the way. Need a new keyboard because your hackin skillz have worn away the home row, space bar and number row? Call in a service ticket and get a keyboard shipped out and arrived to your door in less than two days(Bigtime priority).

Once you go Thinkpad, you never go back, at least for me anyways.

CaptainMorgan··on Is it lame to want to know why you got modded down?
I'm another vote for this feature.. please implement if possible.

Cheers

CaptainMorgan··on Ask hackers: what books have you read lately and would recommend me?
Nothing startup related... but I just started reading Mastering Regular Expressions and am through the fourth chapter. It's such an amazing read and I'm punishing myself for never starting it earlier. For what the content is worth, the reading is not dry and makes the topic enjoyable.

You might want to read or reread Mythical Man Month, if you're looking for startup books. While not a startup book per se, its usefulness in the aspects of the programming environment is tenfold.

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