biscarch

Yes.

If you want to get into designer/developer mode for clients you are likely going to have to learn to host your own servers (note: I don't mean physically, I mean services like Rackspace, etc). If they're a couple static (ie: no server-side language) pages that won't get hit very often, you might use github's pages functionality.

I'd go with Rackspace over linode due to the great feedback I've heard about Rackspace, whereas I've heard relatively little about linode. Personally I use Heroku as they have a free tier that helps when just "getting stuff out there". The problem with Heroku is they don't have explicit support for PHP, so that could be an issue for you. If you're going to go after big client work, Amazon Web Services (EC2) familiarity is a nice checkbox to tick.

Remember a server is just a computer. If you can set it up to run on your computer, you can set it up to run on a server.

P.S. Get used to being in over your head. It's the fastest way to get up to speed, just learn how to swim underwater.

I'd be interested to know what HN'ers think one should do if there is no obvious frontrunner.

For example, if there are candidates A,B and C but none of them represent voter X well enough.

Another question. Which has more effect? Voter X voting for candidate A,B or C OR voter X creating monetary value through process N and then using that to put forth a candidate (presumably in 4 to 12 years) that represents voter X well.

This article really struck me the wrong way. The connection to being a "Man" is really, really weak and could easily be eliminated from the article.

I mean... I get the connection to "No Shave November"... but it adds nothing to the content and while reading the entire article all I felt was "MAN MAN MAN MAN" instead of "Unit Testing! Documentation! Pair Programming!" which are actually important programming topics.

No. Age is irrelevant in this sense. Find something you enjoy and just keep hacking.

Choice of language is pretty much a matter of comfort when you're first learning. The question is, do you want to be using Ruby/Rails or PHP/Wordpress/Codeigniter/etc. If you're just learning, you're going to want to code in whatever language you choose. Just for reference, you can create backends for websites in Clojure, Java, Python, Haskell, go, JavaScript(node.js), etc as well.

I'd say use Ruby/Rails if you want to create webapps and PHP/etc if you want to create Wordpress sites. Someone more experienced than me in these languages can comment further.

Heroku.com supports Ruby and from using it with Clojure and node.js apps, I highly suggest this route even if you enjoy setting up your own servers. You can also use providers like Amazon EC2/Joyent/Rackspace and set up your own box to be either a LAMP stack or Ruby/Rails.

There is a long list of Databases to choose from these days, including: MySQL, PostgreSQL, Riak, CouchDB, MongoDB, Cassandra, etc.

Truly the answer you're looking for is "Just start somewhere". The amount of tech you can choose between is dizzying and you'll eventually get to a point where you can make your own decisions if you just keep hacking.

It sounds like you let other's understandings create your own, instead of using your own interests to drive your understanding.

Randomly connected, but the game Rocksmith takes this approach. It'll give you points if you get the strumming correct, but are fretting 2/5 notes correctly. There's a huge focus on "get as much as you can right now, but we're going to keep throwing this at you until you get it right."

Their startup is http://brainbot.me

I'd love to hear a description about what you're trying to do there though.

It seems that most comments here (and the post itself) are conflating "Hacking" with "Cheating".

Cheating would be something similar to placing your name on the interview list, bypassing the need for an application.

Hacking is figuring out the rules to the system and using them to your advantage.

Examples from other posts:

"Taking Adderall"

Taking Adderall is hacking your biochemistry. Taking it to misrepresent your abilities to potential employers is cheating.*

*unless there are proven long term benefits to Adderall?

"Doping"

Doping is hacking your biochemistry. Using it to win a biking race is cheating if the rules prohibit it.

"Spending years studying for the GMAT"

That's just studying. There is no hacking, and no cheating going on here. Hacking would be finding a way to remember more about the GMAT in less time. Cheating would be using a cheat sheet.

"Autotuning"

Autotuning is a vocal effect. It also degrades the quality of your voice. Comparing a trained vocalist with someone using auto-tune is no contest, the trained vocalist will always perform better.

"Creating higher visibility by posting on HN"

This is hacking. The rules of News.YC have been used to garner greater mindshare with the partners that review applications. This is using one process to have an effect on a different process.

In conclusion Hacking is a mentality, Hacking != Cheating even though sometimes one may be an integral part to the other.

I agree. When I started working on the idea that would become my company, I never intended to try to raise capital, etc.

I ended up applying to YC because I saw value in those three months that I'm not receiving in my current situation.

It matters not if I get in (besides maybe a slight ego bruise if I don't.) because I'm going to keep going anyway. Also, I tell people that I'm working full time on the idea, even though I'm not currently making any revenue. People always react weirdly when that (monetary) information comes out, so I typically don't bring it up.

This would be interesting, considering that there is often a window before disgruntled lovers/partners are actually out of the target's life.

How long does DNA "last" on something like a toothbrush?

1v1 or team vs team?

I don't know how many of you have internet, but you could use Google Hangouts to record a video. My new Co-Founder happens to live in Chicago (I'm in San Diego) and that's how we got it done.

Interesting reading.

Can Biped be used to model more complex games, such as Halo or Assassin's Creed, or is it targeted at 2D games like checkers or Motherload?

In [3] you mention that some researchers in the 70's started working on Datalog. Is this the same Datalog query language used in the Datomic database? 1

1 Datalog is in video #2 here: http://blog.fogus.me/2012/03/05/datomic/

News.YC is giving me a nice week here. I'm starting to feel that I tend to undervalue my achievements and I feel much better about my answer now. (Self trained myself through HS to get a D1 Volleyball Scholarship)

I can't help but feeling that this is a list of 12 things about the author, not 12 things that mean you could be an Entrepreneur.

For Example:

"1. Hate the Status Quo – It doesn't make sense to you that something has been done the time-honored way with no explanation why. You are not someone who wants to just go through the motions or sit by idly. Nor do you like following the pack."

Could be titled: "Sees Deficiencies in the Status Quo" with the explanation: "Seeks to understand the why's of commonly accepted actions which can lead to discovery of better processes."

"3. Fired from Jobs – You're too creative for your own good when it comes to working for others, and you may have some history, as I do, of losing jobs. Being just a cog in wheel is very difficult for you because you want to create something others can be inspired by and contribute to."

I think the spirit of this paragraph could easily be included in the rewrite of point 1. However, Being fired does not provide any indication towards being a good entrepreneur. Often entrepreneurs have to deal with processes that are in contest with their view of how things should be done. An entrepreneur should be able to choose their battles effectively.

"4. Labeled a Rebel - You know that greatness resides outside the lines of conformity and don't think that policies, laws and regulations apply to you. You have been described as a rebel and rule breaker and would defy gravity if you could.

5. Resist Authority - You have a lifelong record of resisting authority from your parents, teachers and bosses. You don't go along with the agreed upon norms of the group or community you work and live in. "

The spirit of 4 and 5 go hand in hand with point number 1. Questioning commonly accepted processes a large percentage of the time often gets you branded as a troublemaker or resistant to authority.

"6. Ready to Improve Everything - You always see how you could do things better. In addition, you are opinionated and freely give your two-cents about your better way of doing things--even when you're not asked. "

Honestly I don't see the productiveness of pushing your viewpoint when not asked or at least tangentially referenced. However, "Ready to Improve Everything" is a valid quality but is essentially an extension of point 1. If you're questioning commonly accepted processes you typically have an interest in improving those processes. Potentially this could be changed to a capacity to help others.

"7. Bad at Making Small Talk - You have difficulty making the kind of small talk that so many people get comfort from. This social pattern of relationship and rapport building seems like a waste of time to you and makes you uncomfortable."

This is an interesting point, because it could mean you've spent time developing a different skill set which could aid you in your entrepreneurial quest. However, placing difficulty entertaining social interactions on the same level as not seeing the need for social interactions is conflating two ideas. It is fairly necessary to be able to talk to others about your ideas and building a rapport with people you expect to work for you is important.

"8. Bullied in Your Youth - You may have been heavily criticized, picked on and even bullied as a child or teenager. This has caused you to be driven to excel and to prove to the world that you are indeed a force to be reckoned with."

Change this to having determination, which is essential to any entrepreneurial quest.

"9. Obsessive - You may have been labeled obsessive/compulsive because when you get started on something you have difficulty letting go. Don't let anyone convince you that this is a disease or deficiency. All of the great entrepreneurs become completely immersed in their vision. Howard Schultz stuck with Starbucks even when his family tried to persuade him not to."

Obsession is a fairly negative attribute. Controlled determination and vision is what I think you're reaching for in this paragraph.

"10. Scared to Go Solo - The entrepreneur in you is scared of going out on your own—and also terrified of not doing so. This fear is so common in our society because we've been conditioned to think that entrepreneurship is much riskier than getting a "good job." The reality is there is instability in both. "

Fear is a useful data point, but having fear has little positive benefit to being a successful entrepreneur. Eventually you'll have to kick past the fear.

"11. Unable to Unwind - You can't go to sleep at night because you can't turn your thoughts off. An idea may even manifest itself in your dreams. The next morning you find yourself still consumed with that idea, distracting you from the job you're supposed to be doing."

Being unable to control your thoughts is a fairly bad thing. That's not to say interesting ideas can cause the phenomenon described, but as a constant state of mind it reminds me of being obsessive. A high level of interest is important, inability to sleep is not.

In conclusion I present a list of the top 5 qualities that could mean you are entrepreneurial minded in the article:

1) Determination

2) Vision

3) High Levels of Interest

4) An Inquisitive Mind

5) A Novel Way of Seeing the World

I really enjoyed reading this (fairly long) essay.

Valve has a company culture I admire and having a name for a similar structure (open allocation) helps when speaking about intentions.

I particularly enjoyed the portion of the essay that dealt with dividers vs subtractors. It's fairly evident that everyone starts as a subtractor, and should not be fired just because they take longer to get acclimated. Dividers, on the other hand, are a kind of person that not only take down companies, but also take down relationships and friends in their personal lives.

I've personally spent much of my life identifying "divider" behavior in myself and eliminating it so I can commonly identify these types of people. I wonder, however, if there is a third category which would be a subtractor that doesn't wish to improve. This could potentially be classified as a low-level of divider, but takes longer to identify for me personally. I also wonder if these types could have their course altered with the right persuasion early enough.

Ex: Someone who makes concrete plans and bails increasingly over time with originally convincing reasons. These originally convincing reasons are visibly full of (not necessarily malicious) ulterior motives once you are familiar with them. The "early intervention" in this situation would have the goal of making the person more reliable by somehow solving their ulterior concerns.

My belief is this organizational structure is a driving force for my startup.

Quick tip for anyone learning foreign words on memrise or anywhere you need to type with a different keyboard layout for OSX.

System Preferences -> Language and Text -> Input Sources. Select the languages you want in the list. click "Keyboard Shortcuts" and enable whatever keyboard shortcut you desire to swap layouts.

ex: now I can press CMD+Space to switch keyboard layouts between Russian, French and Spanish.

I have to do something with my hands when I'm thinking and not typing. I don't smoke, but I do have this unconscious need that arises during this time. My negative reaction is to get really hungry (even though I don't need food), I've been trying to change that to a video game "break" while I'm pursuing some mental gymnastics (which is working fairly well).

So I could see how smoking easily would fit into that unconscious need. In fact, most of the people I have daily interactions with smoke. I'm in the process of removing myself from the situation (of having to deal with smoke clouds 5 feet from my computer).

* I have nothing personally against smokers, the smoke clouds (3+ people) just disrupt my mental processes.

Proof that execution > ideas?

call pathogen#infect()

let vimclojure#FuzzyIndent=1

let vimclojure#HighlightBuiltins=1

let vimclojure#HighlightContrib=1

let vimclojure#DynamicHighlighting=1

let vimclojure#ParenRainbow=1

set shiftwidth=2

set autoindent

set expandtab

set tabstop=2

set ai

set ruler

syntax on

filetype plugin indent on

set number

set rnu

set background=dark

let g:paredit_mode = 0

highlight OverLength ctermbg=red ctermfg=white guibg=#592929

match OverLength /\%81v.\+/

I would disagree.

I contend that those that put tremendous importance on high school assignments (ex: the overachievers) come out needing textbook style answers because a huge portion of the time, high school assignments and tests are of the "This is what it says in the textbook. The textbook is always right. Go find the sentence and repeat it here." type.

Furthermore, I doubt you can judge someone's ability to find solutions to non-textbook style problems via their performance in high school due to the fact that those sorts of problems are rarely brought up in a high school context.

Case in point: Multiple choice tests and essay questions based on your ability to cross reference the textbook.

Anecdotal evidence: I coasted through high school and have no trouble arriving at potential solutions (and gauging chances of success) when I meet problems with no discernible textbook-style solution.

Honestly I'm not going to sign in with Facebook without being told what happens on the other side.

Also: how is this different from Skype/Google Hangouts, etc.

I'd be interested to know about your habits in hs to see if there is any behavioral correlation.

ie: did you go to class? do homework? spend more time on projects that were non-school related? etc.

Thank you.

I was an NMSQT semi-finalist, but not a finalist, so I'm fairly certain I don't qualify as an NMSQT Scholar however, by your definition, I probably aced it. The extent of my studying (for any standardized test) was taking an SAT book from the common library in the house and placing it on the shelf in my room.

I've never put much stock in it, but if what you're saying is true, it has ramifications for my worldview in general. I guess what I'm trying to say is thanks for giving me some perspective, I have some thinking to do.

I've been doing the same as you, unfortunately due to changes in cofounder structure, which has a pretty large impact on the application.

I am currently under the impression that all of the applications are reviewed by at least one partner after the deadline unless they haven't changed since submission and all the partners have already seen them. I don't think there is a danger of no one seeing the updated application.

As for how they resolve differences from one submission to another, I do not know.

All in all it would be interesting to get an official answer to this question.

"(believe me, it takes MONTHS (or even years) of dedication to actually ace the PSAT or SAT)"

I'm disinclined to believe this statement. Would you mind taking the time to prove this for me? Also, what is considered an "ace" score?

In my experience the PSAT and SAT were tests that measured how well you can take tests and I do not consider my personal test scores to be the result of years of hard work and dedication.

Was going to mention this as well.

socket.io falls back to long polling, so you have to be careful when trying to produce benchmarks based only on websockets. I didn't see this in the server code so I assume the default transports were used.

io.configure(ENV, function(){ io.set('transports', ['websocket']); });

more here: https://github.com/LearnBoost/Socket.IO/wiki/Configuring-Soc...

Also, Firefox version would be nice to know.

Agreed, but I would put it slightly differently.

Every goal has a percentage likelihood of success, your job (as the goal-reacher) is to increase the likelihood of desired outcomes.

Ex: Moving to SF increases your luck-factor/success-percentage of meeting a VC at a coffee shop. (Assuming there are a lot of VCs at coffee shops in SF) Therefore you have become more "lucky". You have probably also reduced your luck-factor for seeing a cow in the morning.

Having started riding this roller coaster I particularly enjoyed a view of what pitfalls to be aware of in the future.

Also, since I just survived a dual-founder breakup (company intact), it was encouraging to know that this was probably a bigger bullet to have dodged. (For those curious, post-breakup I reached out to an old friend with whom I've shared some tenuous situations and we have applied to YC for the next batch)

Edit: I forgot about the pizza comment! When she asked how to contact someone in Lake Tahoe, I audibly said pizza (in my empty apartment). When the solution was pizza, I had a celebratory moment.