co_pl_te

Thanks for the tip on the Ruby post. Will shoot you an email.

Would love to give this a review, if possible. More of a Ruby guy, but I really appreciate the elegance of a good one-liner.

Git is certainly capable of this, but I don't think that makes a service like Penflip that focuses specifically on collaborative writing superfluous.

I like to code and I like to write, but I'd be much more likely to put a Rails app on Github than, say, a short story on which I'd like to collaborate. It's not that Github can't be used as an effective tool for collaborative writing, but rather, that it isn't really the place for it.

I have a lot better chance of social interaction around code on Github versus writing because the primary social object on Github is code.

There is no question that good writing exists on Github and that it shines for particular forms of writing, but the dearth of writers to coders there seems to signify that a service like Penflip has a market that could be better served.

It depends. I like using Markdown for writing. Being a 'writer' does not preclude one from being a 'techie'.

Love this. Actually working on something similar ('GitHub for storytellers') as my first Rails project. I have to learn a lot more to get mine even presentable, though.

So bummed I couldn't make it in. Love that the talks are always live-streamed, but there's something about being in a room with a bunch of awesome individuals. Maybe next year.

Also worth reading is this VentureBeat interview with Michelle Zhou about her research:

http://venturebeat.com/2013/10/11/how-ibms-michelle-zhou-fig...

Hilarious. But one point of contention.

"It's like twitter. Except we charge people to use it."

App.net seems to be doing fine sans a time machine.

This was my first reaction, too! ;-)

Here's Wikipedia's example 'Hello, World!' program: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brainfuck#Hello_World.21

This is likely true for those of us who have already become accustomed to typing using QWERTY, but there are many who are just learning or have yet to learn to type, most notably children.

If at some point an input method that is faster and more efficient than QWERTY gains real traction and is taught or exposed to our youth, I'd expect a shift away from what's become convention.

This is by no means something that will just happen overnight, but I'd be a little saddened if in the last years of my life, QWERTY remains as the dominant method of text input. It's certainly a good solution, but no where near an optimal one.

Swype was acquired by Nuance. Nuance has quite the portfolio for input entry whether it be by speech or typing.

Reinventing text entry/editing is something I've always wanted to do/see done. Wish there were more solutions that weren't based off of QWERTY, though. I realize it's been the standard since the typewriter, but if we really want to see huge gains in speed and efficiency, we should shift away from it.

It's not about the money, but the people you meet. Quite frankly, I often feel lost navigating the territory of starting my own business even with the support of cofounders I trust and respect.

To be able to get advice from the caliber of YC's network as well as be around teams that are trying to do things that others deem "crazy" or "destined to fail" is an enlightening experience you can't just get anywhere. There's so much I don't know. YC is a great way to bridge some of my many ignorances. Certainly not the only way, though.

I'm not suggesting that wannapreneurs should just blindly shoot off a half-baked idea to every incubator and just sit on their asses waiting for someone to dump money in their laps. Are there people like that? Sure. But setting a little time aside from working on your startup to apply to a once-in-a-lifetime experience that can only help your chances of success is, I think, a justifiable use of time.

Thanks for the advice. As an n-time YC reject where n currently equals 1, I totally agree it's a great way to think about your startup and an excellent exercise in communication.

I'd imagine n is going to get larger over time for us before we can prove ourselves worthy, but we'll keep applying. In retrospect, I think it'll be fun to look back at all our applications and see what progress we've made and how our idea changes over time. If anything, we'll have a clear message by then. ;-)

Fair point. I think what interested me about the article was that both Facebook and Twitter were mentioned equally (8 times each) during last year's Super Bowl commercials. I agree that Twitter is the social platform traditional media has the most affinity towards, so in that respect, the results are to be expected.

Here are some stats on Super Bowl mentions that might be of interest to you:

Facebook: http://newsroom.fb.com/News/570/Super-Bowl-XLVII-on-Facebook

Twitter: http://blog.twitter.com/2013/02/the-super-tweets-of-sb47.htm...

Instagram: http://blog.instagram.com/post/42254883677/sbroundup

Google (search, not +): http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/m-beyonce-and-ravens-...

I second this. Good read. Another article that might be of interest is this NYT article that cites several former HP/Palm employees making the case that webOS was inherently flawed software.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/02/technology/hewlett-packard...

The primary issue with webOS, according to Paul Mercer, was that it "was ahead of its time in trying to build a phone software platform using Web technology, and we just weren’t able to execute such an ambitious and breakthrough design."

It's intriguing to note that tomorrow RIM will officially unveil BB10 and its first line of BB10 handsets — another phone software platform built using Web technology that is, in many respects, the heir of webOS.

The multibillion dollar question: has web technology finally reached the point that a phone platform built using it can be executed successfully head-to-head with iOS and Android?

Agree wholeheartedly. webOS was solid software begging for hardware to match. It's a testament to how much webOS was loved that users would tolerate using the original Pre. I remember many swapping it out multiple times due to hardware defects. Still have my original one for nostalgia's sake. Cute little phone with an OS to die for.

Same here. webOS was my first love in mobile computing. Although I've become a huge proponent of iOS, I still think webOS does some things better than any other mobile OS and I believe it had a profound impact on the nascent trajectories of both iOS and Android.

Most of the key webOS team members were actually picked up by Google when Palm was being acquired by HP, most notably UX design guru Matias Duarte. He is to mobile software what Jony Ive is to mobile hardware. He was responsible for Helio's OS, Danger, webOS, and Android Gingerbread and beyond. Plus, you gotta love a guy who's primary goal is "to make people smile."

http://www.linkedin.com/in/matiasduarte

I'd also be very interested in such a course. Law in general is way down there on the list of things that interest me, but I'd rather be readily equipped with such knowledge than blissfully ignorant.

Although not specifically related to patent law, I'd really like to know more about choosing the right lawyer/firm for one's startup.

There's so little I know that I feel I should know. I think you'll find a lot of HNers that would be interested in such a course.

I would also be interested in a Boston/Cambridge meet up. There was talk about this a few weeks back. Would love to see this happen.

Thank you. Very cool of you to extend that offer. Way to turn a downer into a positive for a lot of startup hopefuls. Mixpanel gets my love.

The github link is https://github.com/unconed/MathBox.js

As a math/visualization geek I'm smitten by this.

Loved this quote:

"I wasn't 100% sure whether other people would have the same a-ha moments that I've had, but I'm convinced more than ever that seeing math in motion is essential for honing our intuition about it. MathBox not only makes animated diagrams much easier to make and share, but it also opens the door to making them interactive in the future."

It's stuff like this that makes me pine for better WebGL support across the board.

I don't think number of views will correlate with an increased chance of getting an interview, but I'm pretty sure getting no views will correlate with not getting an interview.

Totally agree that none of us should be stressing about this. Cheers.

That's a great question. I say yes based on a question Harjeet answered on Quora regarding what makes a good YC application:

"- PLEASE include a video. it makes such a difference and will significantly help your chances of making interview."

http://www.quora.com/Y-Combinator/What-should-be-included-in...

Ours wasn't viewed by anyone other than my cofounders and I. I take that as an indication that we're not in the running for an interview. If you do get a view, at least you know there's some interest from YC. I suppose it's possible that some applications are good enough that the founders forgo watching the video in the interest of time, but it's unlikely.

Good luck to everyone. Looking forward to seeing the next batch of YC companies.

I haven't been able to dig up specifics, so hopefully someone with more knowledge can add to this, but the CNN "Magic Wall" is an 82" LCD Multi-Touch Display made by Perceptive Pixel — originally a privately owned company founded by Jeff Han that was acquired by Microsoft in July this year.

As far as I can tell, it's powered by an NVIDIA Quadro 6000 workstation. Not sure about the software, but it's likely custom-tweaked.

Perceptive Pixel's tech was originally developed for military applications (and the military does use their displays), but you can see why newsrooms would swoon over tech like this — especially for election coverage.

Here are a few links to related articles that might provide you with more information:

Wikipedia article on Multi-Touch Collaboration Wall: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Multi-Touch_Collaboration_Wall

Perceptive Pixel's page on their 82" display: http://perceptivepixel.brandgreenhouse.com/products/82-lcd-m...

NVIDIA's Quadro 6000 page: http://www.nvidia.com/object/product-quadro-6000-us.html

2008 WaPo article on CNN's Magic Wall: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02...

Jeff Han TED Talk from 2006: http://www.ted.com/talks/jeff_han_demos_his_breakthrough_tou...

I have a friend who lives in NYC and has run it for the past six years and she just let us know on Facebook. NBC News confirms:

http://usnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2012/11/02/14880084-new-york...

I might give that a try sometime (I'm sure it's around somewhere) just to see if I can get something back. I vaguely remember a little of what I wrote, but it would be intriguing to reread what I was writing all those years back. Thanks for the idea.

I used to consider pen(cil) & paper as the only medium worthy (and secure) enough for transcribing the ideas that popped into my young head, although now I use an iPad, a Bamboo stylus, and either Paper or Penultimate to record all my thoughts.

I think my preference for paper stemmed from a childhood experience I had with keeping my first journal on an old DOS/386 in a password-protected WordPerfect file (and I still remember that password! :-) Originally, my intention was merely to try to use up all the memory on that machine, but I soon had a fond habit of taking 15-30 minutes per day to write about the world around me. What I wrote would likely be mundane from an outsider's perspective, but there was a sort of innocent joy in noting all the tiny insights and observations I had that were important to me at that age.

One day, I went to update my journal, which was entitled MY LIFE, and discovered it and its backup had been erased from the drive. My father must have found this strange document that he could not open taking up loads of space on his computer and deleted it without a moment's hesitation.

I was devastated. I swore to never save anything of personal value to a computer again. I think this bad childhood experience actually engendered a deep technophobia that I harbored from high school throughout college and didn't really overcome until the last five years. This same experience also seems to be the root of a lifelong passion for writing.

In any case, I began keeping a more "formal" handwritten journal in the latter years of college up until a few years ago. It was written in pencil (preferably 0.5mm) on lined looseleaf paper contained in a large, unmarked 3-ring binder. I wrote in it daily, not really trying to distinguish "good" ideas from "bad" ones, but just concentrating on getting at least one complete thought on paper per day. Though I used pencil, I only erased obvious errors (like misspellings) choosing to strike through parts that didn't seem to fit at the time. I did this because when I looked back on what I wrote after significant periods of time, it often gave me further insight into how I had come about thinking what I was thinking at the time I wrote it.

It wasn't until about two years ago that I switched to using an iPad and a capacitive stylus for jotting down my ideas. Although it certainly doesn't have the same feel as working with pen and paper, I really like having a compact, infinite canvas to work with that I can take anywhere, and am reasonably confident that when the tablet grows up, it will transition from disrupting the PC to doing what it was meant to do in the first place — make paper obsolete.

In the event I get nostalgic for paper, I prefer using a blank 9x12 sketchbook — for the most part, I can't stand to be restricted by lines anymore — and my favorite Zebra multi pen:

http://www.jetpens.com/Zebra-Clip-On-Multi-2000-4-Color-0.7-...

Ultimately, I agree that paper is vastly underrated by geeks, but let's face it — after thousands of years, we're always trying to eye something better.

*Note: Safari quit unexpectedly before I could post this and I had to rewrite everything from scratch. Talk about coincidences!

This is why I love that Siri can now open apps.

I agree that visual search of apps on an iPhone is a "pain point" especially when you have a ton of apps and are looking to open one you use less often that's buried in some folder on screen 7. Could Apple do better restructuring this? Sure. But I think they've solved the problem of opening the app you want to use splendidly with Siri.

Like you, I used to use Spotlight for this frequently, but was also slightly annoyed by the effort — however slight — needed to get a solution. With Siri, though, I find it hard to fault visual or text search on iPhone because I don't think there's any way either can compete with just asking Siri to open what you want.

I don't like talking on the phone — to say nothing of talking to it — but it doesn't get any more frictionless to open a buried app than asking Siri to do it for you.

I think there are a lot of people in Massachusetts that would be interested in this. I wouldn't count organizing people as one of my strengths, but I'd be willing to help any way I can.