daegloe

That's not exactly how it works.

When embedding a Tweet button using the Twitter JavaScript API, you also need to include a script reference to //platform.twitter.com/widgets.js. This code scans the DOM, reads those data attributes and then replaces the href above with an iframe. That iframe contains the Tweet button with the data attribute values serialized into a new href that triggers the popup.

Fair enough! I've updated the title of the post. Thanks for adding the quick detection routine.

Nah, you're not defeated. Just the opposite. You're empowering yourself by taking command of your life decisions. We all make mistakes along the way, but learning from those mistakes and course correcting are the biggest wins we can ask for. You should be proud and wear your decision like a badge of honor.

As the Aussies say, good on ya!

You should do what you love and thereby love what you do. If you don't, take a step back as you may need to recalibrate a bit (or a lot). It's a healthy and productive exercise, if only to reaffirm your current direction.

EDIT: I don't mean to get all meta, but it's not about the ideal of others but rather what makes you happy as an individual. Anyway, that's the way I rationalize it all.

Great idea! We do this quite regularly in the city. It does require some hustling but has always been productive.

If you're targeting college kids, Washington Square Park is a gold mine (especially when the weather is nice).

The letter should be an hour discussion plus an hour of drafting, at the most. @vellum is right, always negotiate fees and estimated level of effort up front. In these types of cases it's generally best to deal with each task discretely until, in a worst case, you must consider litigation. This helps avoid locking yourself into a significant retainer when a single letter might do the trick.

Hear hear!

Always remember that FB's attorneys get paid to mess with you. They could give a rats ass about your innocence or well-being. If they win they get paid. If they lose, they still get paid. Logic and reason will simply fall on deaf ears. They are hourly billing automatons.

Remain calm and follow your lawyer's advice.

Then in addition to incurring further pain for Rick, he will likely have a libel case against you.

Unfortunately, the lawyers rule the day. Along with those powerful interests with the most money to hire the most lawyers. Yet another reminder why significant tort reform in the US is well overdue.

I'm afraid it's generally far worse than a freewheeling legal department. But rather a bloated law firm retained to indiscriminately "defend" the FB brand, and whose daily mission it is to continuously justify monthly billables that would dwarf most annual software developer salaries (and then some).

Best strategy is to avoid litigation at all costs. Because, well, it costs lots of money whether you win or lose. And if you win, collecting is a bitch in of itself.

One option is to ask a lawyer to draft a response in your name in which you clearly state that you have no connection to the offending service. You would then send that response on your personal letterhead. If FB's lawyers continue to pursue their claims, your lawyer would likely take the reins and communicate directly with the opposition on your behalf.

Another option is to remain silent and wait for a follow up from FB's attorneys before pursuing the letter strategy.

Bottom line is: consult a trained professional (lawyer). As someone who has been down a similar road, I can tell you firsthand that it may be painful but it's necessary. Remember, FB's legal budget is far larger than yours. You want to play the poor defenseless Rick card as long as you can before introducing your attorney and any legal letterhead.

Good luck!

EDIT: After reading many of the frothy comments on this page, I just wanted to add that it's generally best to avoid threatening a lawsuit, countersuit or any kind of legal claim in your response. These giant law firms love to call people on their bluffs, because they bill by the hour. Avoid boxing yourself in.

Sorry guys, got carried away today!

I was home sick all day and spent the better part of 15 restless hours scouring the net and feeding my brain. I was collecting noteworthy links along the way, and generally posted (what I considered to be) the good ones in clusters as I returned to HN.

The inundation of knowledge, boredom and medication seemed to have triggered a bit of irrational exuberance. Not my typical posting activity as you can see by my submission history. It's back to the office tomorrow, which means I'll return to my normal 2 or 3 posts a day.

Apologies if I offended. Lesson learned.

This is a duplicate of: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=3788021

YouTube link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GljhR5rk5eY

It appears that duplicate submissions are getting through as well.

The additional burden of public disclosure and compliance would seem like a deal killer. Not to mention the general loss of "control" that accompanies an IPO.

Plus, raising capital/access to capital doesn't appear to be an issue for Y Combinator.

Apologies if the title mislead. I was not trying to sensationalize. It was simply my takeaway from the article. Which I fully admit was influenced by my personal bias, but I never claimed to be impartial.

Title adjusted.

Good point! Ad subsidized Super Mario Bros.

It's all about commercial interests. So, here's hoping the budding space-industrial complex one day overtakes the war-industrial complex.

And fingers crossed the two don't merge to become one giant space-war-industrial complex. Gulp.

IANAP, but isn't this due to air resistance/drag?

A savvy audience (e.g., Peter Thiel) will remember the Everest deck. In fact, I've heard it discussed in several circles over the past few months. Going with what works is generally a smart approach, but you don't want to look like a carbon copy/an also ran. This is why I bring up the question of originality and suggest you add a bit more of your team's personality to the deck.

Otherwise, it's a great start. My two cents.

Fair enough. Though adding a larger dose of originality couldn't hurt.

Interesting business proposition. I may have missed this in the deck, but do you already have preliminary/pilot relationships with celebrities and brands/retailers?

Francis and the Everest team are top notch!

Come to think of it, the Swagsy home page looks a lot like the Everest home page too.

http://swagsy.com/ vs. http://evr.st

This looks an awful lot like the Everest pitch deck: http://investors.evr.st

Coincidence? Are both of these built from the same public template?

I couldn't dig up any additional details re: the photos in question.

Some are claiming the crab-like object in the photo linked to above is a fractured piece of the probe's protective shield. The fully intact probe can be seen here pre-launch: http://www.myspacemuseum.com/v_venera13i_24.jpg

Instead of revealing the individual's identity, FB could send them an automated msg pointing back to your profile with the option to connect (or at least chat). This would leave the decision (privacy protection) in the hands of the recipient.

Has anyone had success with (the somewhat recently released) UltraEdit for Mac? I've used UE on Windows for many years and had been quite happy. When I made the switch to OS X, I continued to do much of my coding in UE via a Windows VM. Looking to finally kick the VM habit, now that Outlook for Mac is available, and selecting a native OS X text/code editor remains the most significant challenge. Sticking with UE would seem to be the easiest approach, but curious if there is any feedback from the community.

pg, overall, I did enjoy the event. As did many others, so it appeared. Sure, it wasn't perfect, but great insight from YC partners and founders. Thank you.

It was a bit difficult to network, however. As other posters have pointed out, there were so many attendees and since there were no indicative markings on the badges, it was impossible to distinguish between a potential "match" and a friendly (but potentially unproductive) conversation. But hey, hindsight is 20/20. Looking forward to next time.

As you mentioned in your talk, you're unlikely to run into Sean Parker while strolling down 5th Avenue. NYC-area Meetups are enjoyable, as are, at times, General Assembly and other NYC institutions. But as you joked about on stage, they are not a substitute for the daily serendipity and access to talent that Silicon Valley has to offer. This is one of the Valley's greatest strategic advantages. That being said, there is a tremendous talent pool in NYC and last night helped reaffirm this fact. Over the course of my two entrepreneurial decades in this great city, I have never seen a NYC startup event attract such a targeted, valuable and eager audience. It's very possible that the YC brand-name was responsible for this feat. Would YC have any interest in sponsoring a regular NYC networking event? In addition to increasing YC-startup visibility and access to local talent, this could serve as a great boon for the NYC startup community.

I'm a programmer and a college dropout. I've always been the type to march at the beat of my own drum. While genuinely interested in the humanities and core curriculum offered at my school, I loathed the slow pace of the classroom. I wanted to jump ahead and skip the basics and go straight to the "fun stuff!" I harnessed that energy and began skipping classes, teaching myself a self-selected curriculum and started developing software. Unfortunately, that path wasn't compatible with the university and I soon found myself on academic leave. It was 1995, however, and the budding Internet era was my oyster. I said goodbye to school and never looked back. Well, at the behest of a college professor I did consider returning to school a few years later but ultimately declined the offer.

Flash forward 7 years, and I was already a (twice) successful entrepreneur and now executive at a global media company. The lack of a college degree and formal education had not (in any meaningful way) impeded my career, nor had it handicapped my ability to continually learn, adapt and innovate.

One day, Microsoft came knocking. They were recruiting me to join the team. They flew me in for the infamous day of interviews and Mensa riddles, and not a single person asked me about my education. That is until the (8th and) final interview of the day. The head of the division said something along the lines of, "so, I see here that you never graduated from college?" I more or less shrugged off the question, made some smug remark about my entrepreneurial tendencies and referenced his boss, Bill Gates. I'll never forget his response. He said, "look, college is like bootcamp. Above all else, it prepares you for life by requiring you to follow someone else's rules. If you couldn't follow the rules of your school for 4 years, how do I know you will follow ours?"

It may seem obvious to others, but for me, that was the very first time someone had framed the college experience in a way that, well, actually resonated! There was a sudden, epiphany-like clarity. I couldn't even tell you what I said next. But the interview did go well, and they made me a formal offer the next day. I turned it down. You know why? He was right, whether I was capable or not wasn't the issue. I didn't want to follow their rules. In fact, I soon after resigned my position at the media company and set myself back on the entrepreneurial route. I've been innovating and starting businesses ever since. Marching at the beat of my own drum and happy as a clam.

Each individual's life experience is unique, and I'm certain others might disagree with my message and sentiment. However, college is kind of like bootcamp. Many people benefit from its structure and curriculum, and the social experience it offers. Hey, it's not for everyone, but I do believe that if you have that fire burning inside of you, if you hear that drumbeat in your head, and are disciplined enough to learn as you go and manage your own education, you won't let a missing piece of paper hold you back.

Good luck!