Hacker News Reader

tagabekon HTC sold 15,000 $800 Vive virtual reality headsets in 10 minutes

They're still available

tagabekon Ask HN: How do you manage your contacts?

Given that I keep a very close group of friends, the default iOS Contacts app w/ iCloud works.

For those with large groups of people/information, go with Google Contacts.

tagabekon Ask HN: I own mrrobot.io Should I build something on it or sell it?

If you can manage to get any offer above $XXX, sell it. The show's popularity could very well be at it's peak, given that maintaining or even increasing television ratings after the first season are rare. Otherwise, it could be a fun side project worth sentimental value.

tagabekon Ask HN: 100,000 requests two days after release. What next?

In addition to setting up a site/blog, immediately setup an email list that you send out updates to. You can then potentially offer a 'Pro' version of this extension and you will already have thousands (if not 10s of thousands) of potential customers.

tagabekon Ask HN: Use own name or form a company for development freelancing/consultancy?

Agreed. Incorporating took me all of 15 minutes online. Focus on what is REALLY important - getting your first 3 paying clients.

tagabekon Ask HN: Who is looking for remote job seekers?

You may have already seen it, but this thread was posted earlier today:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7355882

tagabekon Happy ending: @N has been restored to its rightful owner

That's pretty strange. Did you contact Twitter?

tagabekon I'm new to Silicon Valley need salary advice

As for #4, does the $10k number apply to only hardware specialists?

tagabekon Ask HN. Why the $150+ Bitcoin exchange spreads?

The current big news is that certain exchanges (ie. Mtgox) are beginning to suspend withdrawals of currency for various reasons. There are talks of Mtgox declaring bankruptcy (but don't take this as fact), so that scares people. Also, certain government(s) are beginning to ban cryptocurrencies to some effect. Like currently popular currency exchanges, negative viral news affects the prices dramatically.

tagabekon Show HN: Teaching kids to code using the Raspberry Pi and JavaScript

This is really cool. It's great to see more programs for kids to learn to code and/or create interesting things.

Filming and asking the students what they think before and after the program might be a good way to get some great feedback and be useful for future promotion.

tagabekon Ask HN – Are there any YC companies offering student internships this summer?

I would suggest getting in touch (ie. emailing, Tweeting) with 20 or so startups that you're interested in and asking to meet the founder(s) over coffee. Ask them everything you can about their company/product and their specific role in everything. Let them ask you about what you're up to and subtly mention your search for an internship.

HN is a great place to start, though. Good luck!

tagabekon We created our own GiftCode system for In-App-Purchase

I think this is interesting, but are you promoting this or just announcing what you've accomplished? I would like to know a bit more about it.

tagabekon Ask HN: App Store developers -- do you prefer Paid or Free+IAP?

If you're making an app for a niche audience (ie. Bird Watching Enthusiasts), make it paid. These are people that are very excited about their interest and would be happy to give you $2.99 for an app that supports it. I would even consider raising the price to $4.99+.

If your niche is something that helps people save or make money, charge a lot more.

tagabekon Ask HN: What's the best developer chair on a bootstrap budget?

I currently use the chair listed below, and they're on sale for $100 each now. It is a very comfortable chair, and I use it many hours each day. I have never had any problems with it.

http://www.staples.com/Staples-Hyken-Technical-Mesh-Task-Cha...

tagabekon How I Lost My $50,000 Twitter Username

The 99c domain names.

tagabekon Ask HN: Best big companies to work for?

they claim ownership over whatever you create, including stuff you do in your off hours, and any ideas you may have had.

Does this mean that if you are working on side projects during your free time (ie. at home on weekends), you do not own them?

tagabekon Ask HN: How do you find clients?

I'm going to repost my comment here from a previous thread.

One of my jobs is an iOS Freelance Developer, and this path is what got me my first client.

It seems like you are very aware of what you are capable of. It's great to be realistic, but also realize that you are now in the professional market like everyone else. Like the other posts say here, NETWORK.

Go to local meetups and present yourself as a real professional. Create business cards (BONUS: Make yours stand out from the rest). You will receive many business cards by going to these meetups. You can probably gauge what would make yours flashier.

Here's an example of my business card that has been one of the most effective marketing strategies I've ever used: http://i.imgur.com/4LeH2vf.png

Update your LinkedIn, Twitter, HackerNews, Blog, etc immediately with solid and presentable information. If you're unsure of how to do this professionally, check out other professionals' pages and emulate success.

Now, BUILD THAT PORTFOLIO. Even one side project is generally enough to show someone that you can do the work. Do you want to show off your skills, but you're not sure what to build? Take a popular site and build a small client for it. This is one of the most exciting experiences you will ever go through. We hear about people building businesses all of the time, and it seems amazing. There is so much more passion - in my experience - when you are building yourself.

Please feel free to contact me if you have any basic questions about the whole freelancing process. I'm happy to help in any way! (Email in profile)

tagabekon Ask HN: Looking for freelance work, where to begin?

I'm going to repost my comment here from a previous thread.

I am an iOS Freelance Developer, and this path is what got me my first client.

It seems like you are very aware of what you are capable of. It's great to be realistic, but also realize that you are now in the professional market like everyone else. Like the other posts say here, NETWORK.

Go to local meetups and present yourself as a real professional. Create business cards (BONUS: Make yours stand out from the rest). You will receive many business cards by going to these meetups. You can probably gauge what would make yours flashier.

Here's an example of my business card that has been one of the most effective marketing strategies I've ever used: http://i.imgur.com/4LeH2vf.png

Update your LinkedIn, Twitter, HackerNews, Blog, etc immediately with solid and presentable information. If you're unsure of how to do this professionally, check out other professionals' pages and emulate success.

Now, BUILD THAT PORTFOLIO. Even one side project is generally enough to show someone that you can do the work. Do you want to show off your skills, but you're not sure what to build? Take a popular site and build a small client for it. This is one of the most exciting experiences you will ever go through. We hear about people building businesses all of the time, and it seems amazing. There is so much more passion - in my experience - when you are building yourself.

Congratulations on taking this huge step! Please feel free to contact me if you have any basic questions about the whole freelancing process. I'm happy to help in any way! (Email in profile)

tagabekon Ask HN: What Payment Platform do you use?

Yep!

tagabekon Ask HN: Should I open source my html5 games?

1. If you open source your code, there is always the chance of others 'stealing' it. If this concern is a deal breaker, don't open source it.

2. With a project like yours, this can be a way to catalog how you've grown as a developer.

3. Open sourcing will provide an additional perk for people that might be interested in your project (especially developers).

tagabekon Show HN: QuickChat - An Open-Source Snapchat clone built in 5 days

Thanks! I hope everything is going well for you!

tagabekon Ask HN: What Payment Platform do you use?

I am launching my first book at the end of this month and I will be using Gumroad for payments. They offer the most simple, responsive, and beautiful experience for accepting payment. They take 5% + 25¢ per transaction.

tagabekon Show HN: QuickChat - An Open-Source Snapchat clone built in 5 days

While I have nothing against Snapchat - I would love to have $3 billion offers for my startup - I think that they have opened up a new market (or dramatically expanded an existing one) for app creators.

tagabekon Ask HN: Should we degrade our product to get a first, major customer?

You might want to ask them to preorder your product.

tagabekon Show HN: QuickChat - An Open-Source Snapchat clone built in 5 days

I'm not looking to compete with Snapchat any time soon. I have my consulting/book business that happily takes most of my time.

tagabekon Show HN: QuickChat - An Open-Source Snapchat clone built in 5 days

Links

iTunes Link: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/quickchat!/id778296290?ls=1&...

Source Code: https://github.com/tagabek/QuickChat

1st Blog Post: http://www.taylorbeck.me/2013/11/building-a-snapchat-clone-i...

tagabekon Ask HN: Freelancer? Seeking freelancer? (January 2014)

SEEKING WORK - Remote, San Diego

Hi, I'm Taylor! I develop & design iOS Applications.

I can update your app to look great on iOS 7!

Learn more about me at http://taylorbeck.me/

tagabekon Ask HN: I just dropped out of college, should I do a coding bootcamp?

I recommend freelancing.

I am currently taking a year off from college and am on the path to leaving entirely because I started freelancing a few months before making the decision to take a hiatus.

In school, I was not learning enough in a way and speed that matched my needs or mindset. I like to dive into topics and immerse myself in them quickly, while building cool things - I also like to make a living while doing so. A few months before I made the decision to take time off, I tried freelancing and gave myself a goal - if I could consistently make $X/month, then I would take a year off and work full time on freelancing to explore my options. Although this sentence could be an entire book, the short story is that I hit that goal and even started writing a book & building an audience^1.

Anyway, I decided to take the 1-year-long leave and start freelancing/writing full time. I quickly learned two things: The first is that I love to learn. The second is that learning from quality sources can be free or extremely cheap. Since college, the only direct payment I make for my education is $9/month to TeamTreehouse. Through things like TeamTreehouse, building clients' and personal projects, I've taken my skill level of creating iOS apps from beginner to advanced, which helped me increase freelancing income and gave me the knowledge to write a book.

In short, freelancing will allow you to learn more about a technology you're interested in, learn about building a business, make some kind of income, and hopefully connect you with some cool people and opportunities.

^1: I wrote a whole post about how I got into freelancing and writing a book on my website, but the main point is that you should start by building a small portfolio of projects and target businesses (especially local) that have money to spend. Freelancing/consulting is a science, and you can start making a decent amount of money relatively quickly if done right.

tagabekon Ask HN: Would you pay for this service?

I have to agree with esw. What you are offering could potentially be worth millions to larger corporations. If you can actually produce valuable reports, I don't think $40 is anywhere near enough.

tagabekon Ask HN: App of the Year?

Probably my first app because it launched me into my consulting career, which led to writing my first book, which is leading to my ideal lifestyle.