HNHacker News
TopNewBestAskShowJobs

racy_rick

9 karma · joined January 21, 2009

submissionscomments
racy_rick··on What is better as a scripting language: PHP-CLI or Python?
PHP CLI is brilliant and once I found out about it writing scripts and cron jobs became a lot simpler.

I have php scripts that run on the command line that run for long periods of time. I have also found a lot of ways to reuse code originally written for our website.

I don't know about memory consumption problems, but I have php scripts that are coded functionally (not OO) that run for an hour (processing HUGE amounts of data).

racy_rick··on Command & Conquer: Tiberian Sun free to download
I'm sure it is a licensing issue. If they had agreements for the models or the sound files they'd have to pay those people. I think doom was released without the original sound files. Perhaps that was quake.
racy_rick··on Ask HN: Ever hired an artist?
Inexpensive, professional, cartoony style, but he is incredibly versatile.

http://brianbarber.com

racy_rick··on Kindle Dev Kit open to beta testers
The web experience is second best on any small device right now.

If it is speed and access to the whole device, then you need to code for their API.

racy_rick··on ARM lays out roadmap with three more cores
This will give ARM a leg up.
racy_rick··on The App Store Is a Classic Example Of A Broken Business Process
Appstore: Developer=70%, Apple 30%

KindleStore: Writer 30%, Amazon 70%

note: http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/07/amazon-takes-70-percent-o...

racy_rick··on What's the story behind the name of your startup/company ?
[perhaps nsfw link (adult novelties, etc)]

We wanted to sound racy and to be non-graphic and originally had racytoys.com before we obtained http://racy.com last year.

racy_rick··on Need a good city to startup?
Small cities as a whole suck, but Duluth is like a small town with the amenities of a huge city. International Airport, full shopping mall, 2 universities, symphony, aquarium, tech schools, thriving downtown, you name it. There is talent as well and probably a lot less hotshot programmers like yourself.

Well, those other cities apparently don't have advocates.

This one does.

racy_rick··on Tech Startups Don’t Need the Valley Unless They Need VC
Seriously you can buy a mansion for $300,000 in Duluth http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=518379
racy_rick··on Tech Startups Don’t Need the Valley Unless They Need VC
This inspired me:

Looking for a great city to start you startup? http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=518379

racy_rick··on How I make 15K a month at AdSense
Too many newspapers today are just publishing tons of stuff from the wire and then writing one or two local fluff stories to go along with the local sports scores and grandma's bragbook.
racy_rick··on Ask HN: Why developers at startups use 3 monitors?
Left monitor has mozilla with tabs and behind that a terminal with database command line.

Right monitor has outlook and my main terminal window plus itunes in the background (or whatever I'm listening to).

It is incredibly nice to compare 2 files across the monitors. Also it is nice to be able to have ie6 or ie7 in one windows with mozilla or safari in another to make sure everything lines up correctly.

racy_rick··on Ask HN: Why developers at startups use 3 monitors?
Cool setup, thanks for the info. I know you can do that with vnc somehow as well.
racy_rick··on Ask HN: Just cashed out for 2M. What now?
Well, then lowball. Why not use the downturn to your advantage. Make incredibly low offers for anything you want. Make 100 offers and entertain those that seem okay or are willing to get out of it.

You have the time, the money and the inclination. Of 100 homes that are 800K, one of them might go for 400K cash money right?

Well, if they don't you still have the money. They've got a property they want to offload.

LOWBALLING, it's the new commando.

racy_rick··on Ask YC: How can you recruit and reward non-founder programmers at early stages?
I think it would be a great incentive to work less hours than 40. I feel I only put out 'great programming' 6 hours a day. The rest of the time is wasted.

Having a great life-work policy as a startup may net more good people than wanting them all to work 80 hours for little pay and the promise of a payout. You will burn them out. That helps no one. Give them time off. Treat them well and they will do good work.

Also by not paying them well they will have to work smaller jobs outside of work. You NEED them to do this for the longevity of your company if you will not pay them. I have heard of companies barring people from working outside of their current job. They'd have to offer me more to have me sign.

racy_rick··on I visited my Circuit City's liquidation sale. Nobody was buying anything.
It is just another sales tactic. Raise prices 200%, cut them 80%, wash, rinse, continue.

These scammers were shit when they were doing good. Some other company has or will buy their inventory of any value.

The worst travesty is that they stole everyone's money that had giftcards as they disallowed them last spring. Now that is criminal. Good Riddance.

racy_rick··on Ask HN : What's the meanest thing that has been said about your startup?
That is actually pretty mean. You finally took your life in your own hands and you blame your laziness, your sloth, your lack of motivation on someone that wanted to help you (albeit while being very uncouth).

That is incredibly mean. You may not be fat anymore, but you are still an asshole.

racy_rick··on Ask YC: How can you recruit and reward non-founder programmers at early stages?
That is a great idea. 4 day workweek is enticing. Perhaps I'll be asking for that next.
racy_rick··on Ask YC: How can you recruit and reward non-founder programmers at early stages?
You could always pay the person. Is that out of the question. Too often the payoff in the end is not worth it for programmers. They could have just worked a nominal job doing something else and actually make more money.

Unless there is a surefire payoff, get some investor money and pay them what they are worth.