Hacker News Reader

ninthfrank07on We are going to make the largest distributed library in the world

People don't need to email me. How it works is that once you create an account on Kopibibli, you can create "issues". So if you have an album that is not on Kopibibli, you just have to create an issue with the name of the album. On the front page of Kopibibli, people can upvote issues. So I'm always focusing on the issues with the most upvotes. And I delete an issue once it is resolved.

I agree that if it takes off, I would need to find a better way to add content to the database. I was thinking of maybe letting people add content, but it wouldn't show up on the site until I approve it.

As for providing an API, I would definitely like to do that.

ninthfrank07on We are going to make the largest distributed library in the world

Well if you don't want to tell people that you have that, you just have to not mark it as owned.

ninthfrank07on We are going to make the largest distributed library in the world

http://www.kopibibli.org/

https://github.com/kopibibli/kopibibli

ninthfrank07on [dead]

Please send me an email (see my profile) if you're interested in this Ruby on Rails app. Any feedback is welcomed. The source code is on Github: https://github.com/kopibibli/kopibibli.

ninthfrank07on The Ruby on Rails Tutorial for Rails 4.0 (beta)

Try following these instructions: https://gist.github.com/peter/3025502.

ninthfrank07on Whats your Startup / App Ideas for 2013?

A real estate marketplace.

ninthfrank07on Ask HN:How do track your daily learning progress?

I also use http://rescuetime.com. It might be helpful to you if you just want to track what you do on your computer. It's just an app you install on your PC or Mac and it runs in the background. And then you can go on their website to see where exactly you spend your time and how productive you are.

ninthfrank07on Ask HN:How do track your daily learning progress?

I currently use http://lift.do/ (it's an iPhone app) to keep track of what I do and to see my progress. I can also see what my friends are doing and prop them. And they can see what I'm doing and prop me. Every day, I receive an email showing me my progress.

ninthfrank07on Tell HN: Startup school 2012 invites are out

I'm accepted too. And I'm flying all the way from Montreal to attend!

ninthfrank07on Ask HN: What programming language do you recommend starting with?

If you enjoy watching videos, I'd recommend starting with the CS101 Udacity course (Intro to Computer Science: Building a Search Engine), which you can find here:

http://www.udacity.com/overview/Course/cs101/CourseRev/apr20...

This courses will introduce you to the Python programming language and will also explain you how search engines work. It's a perfect course for a beginner, because it assumes no prior programming knowledge. It's also very interactive, because you often have to answer questions or to implement your own procedures in Python (you can write you code, run it to see the output and submit it for validation directly in your web browser).

Looking at the syllabus, you can get a very good idea of what exactly you will learn throughout the course:

Unit 1: How to Get Started (Your first program: Extracting a link)

Unit 2: How to Repeat (Finding all of the links on a page)

Unit 3: How to Manage Data (Crawling the web)

Unit 4: How to Solve Problems (Responding to search queries)

Unit 5: How Programs Run (Making things fast)

Unit 6: How to Have Infinite Power (Ranking search results)

Unit 7: Where to Go from Here (Exam testing your knowledge)

I took this class a few months ago and I found it extremely interesting! Especially Unit 5, where you will learn how to implement hash tables (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hash_table).

ninthfrank07on Ask HN: Good iOS Tutorials?

I personally had tremendous fun following Matthijs Hollemans' tutorials (http://www.raywenderlich.com/store/ios-apprentice).

You can get the first tutorial for free if you sign up for the raywenderlich.com newsletter. It assumes no prior knowledge of iOS or Objective-C and runs you through building a simple game. Then for 54$ you can get the three other tutorials.

The second tutorial shows you step by step how to build a checklist app (using Storyboards).

The third tutorial is about doing a simpler version of Foursquare (using Core Location, Map Kit, the camera and photo library, Core Data and Core Animation).

And in the fourth tutorial you'll learn how to make a clone of the default iTunes app by using the iTunes Store Search API (http://www.apple.com/itunes/affiliates/resources/documentati...) as well as AFNetworking.

ninthfrank07on Ask HN: How can I start learning physics?

I recommend you the "Intro to Physics: Landmarks in Physics" course made by Udacity (http://www.udacity.com/overview/Course/ph100/CourseRev/1). I'm currently halfway through it and I'm having a lot of fun doing it! Here's the syllabus of the course:

Unit 1: How can we measure the circumference of the Earth? Basics of geometry and trigonometry

Unit 2: How do objects move? Data analysis and kinematics

Unit 3: What causes motion? Forces, acceleration, and Newton’s Laws

Unit 4: How can we use motion? Work, energy, and simple machines

Unit 5: How can we determine our longitude at sea? Simple harmonic motion

Unit 6: What is electricity? Charge and electric fields

Unit 7: What is left to discover? Modern physics and open questions

ninthfrank07on Ask HN: Writing my first iPhone app

I personally had tremendous fun following Matthijs Hollemans' tutorials (http://www.raywenderlich.com/store/ios-apprentice).

The second tutorial shows you step by step how to build a checklist app (using Storyboards).

The third tutorial is about doing a simpler version of Foursquare (using Core Location, Map Kit, the camera and photo library, Core Data and Core Animation).

ninthfrank07on Ask HN: Any Canadians applying for Summer 2012 funding round?

Hey! We are two 17-year-old best friends also applying for YC S12. We are from Montreal.

Good luck for your application!

ninthfrank07on Are you applying to YC Summer'12? If so from which country are you?

Yes. Canada.

ninthfrank07on Ask YC alumni: Three 17-year-old Montrealers want feedback on S12 application

Well, I can tell you that we will initially focus on doing a (free) iOS app. And that it's for young people, to enhance their social life. The website won't be a priority until the iOS app is good enough. I prefer not giving any details about the idea itself unless you skype with me.

ninthfrank07on Applications open for Y Combinator's summer 2012 funding cycle

Thanks for your response!

The thing is, the program I'm currently in, International Baccalaureate, is a program that I must absolutely complete in two years. The special thing about this program is that we are the same group for every class (we started 40 now we're 28). If I drop/fail a course, I'm out. And I then need to go in regular science. If ever I were to be selected for YC, the choice would be quite hard, because I really enjoy my program, I'm fond of the other students and I appreciate the teachers a lot. And I also fear that I won't go back to school if I enter the startup world.

At least, I'd like to finish my program and then maybe take a break from school to focus on my startup. My program requires a lot of effort, it's considerably more challenging than regular science, and I just don't see myself dropping it when I'll be halfway through it, but still there's a lot of chance I would - it's 50/50. I'm constantly debating in my head whether I should drop or stay, but I guess I'll wait to see if I'm selected for YC to make a final decision. Ultimately, I feel I would drop my program, because YC is such an amazing opportunity and also because I have a very good co-founder who is a long-time friend of mine. He would definitely succeed in convincing me :P And as you said, I loose nothing if I just apply.

ninthfrank07on Applications open for Y Combinator's summer 2012 funding cycle

I'm extremely interesting in applying for this summer. The only problem is that I'm still in Cegep (a two-year college for Quebec students before they go to university - I'm 17) and so if ever I get chosen, I still have one more year remaining to complete my program (International Baccalaureate in Pure & Applied Science).

I don't think I would drop it, because I ultimately intend to go in computer science at Stanford. Therefore, I would have to leave the Bay Area at the end of August in order to move back in Quebec and stay there during the year and come back in the summer when I'm finish my program.

I would still have time to work on my startup during the year, but at a much lower pace (2-3 hours each night and 8-12 hours on weekends). The other guy on my team (he's 17 too) is in a much less intensive program then me and he could continue working almost full-time on the startup.

But I'm the only one writing code. My co-founder (who's currently studying in Business Management) will be working on the marketing (posting on the blog, making videos showcasing the app, posters in schools and other places, talking with other companies so that they use our app, etc.) I also have a graphic designer that will not be directly involve in the startup but that will do my logo and help me design icons, textures, etc.

Without even knowing anything about my idea (I can tell you though that even if I'm the only technical founder, it's not an overwhelmingly complex app and I am confident that I could manage the coding alone. Our first goal is to get as much users as possible so I think it's appropriate that my co-founder will be more focusing on marketing the app), because really I don't want to be chosen for my idea but rather for my team (I've got this interesting idea that I want to work on, and I like it because I would actually use the app, and actually, I’ve got a bunch of startup ideas (I’m the kind of guy that always has tons of projects going on and new ideas in mind: I want to code apps, make movies and crazy edits, learn new monologues by heart, run marathons, travel around the world and learn new things!), but this particular one is not too complex to implement, yet if it turns out that I choose to do a completely different project, then so be it! Anyway, I don’t think the idea I apply with matters that much (but it ought to be good obviously), because anybody could apply to YC with a similar idea and develop a similar app. But would they really be as much passionate as us about the app and as much caring about the users, would they achieve to convince companies of using it, would they convince people of using it? I know we would. My point is that I’m expecting to be chosen a lot more because of my team than because of my idea. (If you're interested to know what my app is though, email me (frabrunelle@gmail.com) or skype with me (francisbrunelle)). Yet why do I want do be chosen? I want to build useful products and it thrills me that with the internet millions of people could be using them! But what thrills me even more is that if ever I do YC, I would be hanging around with dozens of other developers that are in the same situation as me. I want to discuss and debate about ideas with those developer. It would be an insanely great and enjoyable experience. And that’s exactly why I want to do YC: for the experience.), do you think I have any chance of getting selected? Or should I wait for next summer, when I will have finish my program? The thing though is that I will still continue to go to school (Stanford, MIT, McGill or somewhere), so again I will have the same problem as the one I have right now.

I truly enjoy school but the real reason I want to go in c.s. at Stanford is to meet other c.s. students and start a startup with them. I'm also interested in studying in theatre, so I'm really not dropping school soon. But I don't want to wait after university to finally apply for YC, I feel ready now. The reason I want to go through YC is to meet interesting people, discuss ideas and because I'm sure it would be a tremendous experience. If I don't get chosen, I will still develop my app over the summer, but I just think YC is an outstanding opportunity and that I ought to at least submit an application. I will continue submitting applications every summer until I'm chosen.

P.S. As a developer, I'm not that skilled, but I always manage to figure things out by myself and find a way to do what I want. If I'm stuck, I don't easily give up. Nevertheless, I'm more of an idea guy. I'm currently following tutorials from http://www.raywenderlich.com/store since December in order to get more familiar with the iOS 5 SDK. When I'll finish them, I'll look at the Parse SDK (http://parse.com) and then at the Facebook iOS SDK (https://developers.facebook.com/). I will then code an app similar to FML but it will be called "You know you're in IB when...", IB being the program I'm currently in. I will integrate the Parse SDK and the Facebook iOS SDK in this app. It's a simple app that I want to do for testing purposes and also because I know that my other classmates would actually use it and that motivates me a lot. I will then start working on the real app that I want to do for my startup. My goal is to have a working app with bare minimum features for the end of May so that I have something to show if ever I move to the Bay Area. I'm working toward this goal 2-3 hours everyday and 8-12 hours on weekends.

ninthfrank07on NYT Skimmer

it's really nice with the keyboard shortcuts

ninthfrank07on Ask HN: Is it possible to get hacked while playing an online PC video game?

It's just that his parent don't trust what I say. I want a few tech savvy guys to say what they think.

As you said, it's not any more dangerous than running a Web browser. The thing is: his father is convinced that playing a PC game is much more dangerous though he has no problem with games that plays in a web browser. I just want a bunch of people to support me saying playing a PC game is not more dangerous than running a Web browser.