thomasgerbe

For those who can't read this behind the paywall:

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/10/infant-tv-guidelin...

Well if you look at comments on any Yahoo news piece, it's a clusterfuck.

I will take that 'issue' over the sluggishness of Firefox on my Macbook any day of the week.

"pg hinted also hinted at this by saying that Cloudant is held to a different standard than all the other companies that deal with Monsanto."

Doesn't there seem to be hypocrisy? So YC companies have their values rise and more recognition because of the name and affirmation from the YC core but if users expect them to abide by a higher set of standards, it's all... "hold on a second, we're like any other company and shouldn't be held to a different standard?"

For the record, I don't think I would've care as much about this had the company not released such an enthusiastic PR post.

I so wish this were the top comment.

That's really the issue for me. Most of the analogies with Apple/Microsoft/Chevy/etc. are flawed because anyone can buy those products. In this case, Cloudant not only accepted a partnership with Monsanto (and thus, obviously had communication with them for some time) but touted it as as the greatest thing since sliced bread.

And I can understand their enthusiasm since it's a big deal with regards to their business.

But, Monsanto's track record within the last forty years is deplorable. Read their Wikipedia page, about Bovine somatotropin, or watch documentaries about them. Goodness, it's hard to like them.

Which is why Monsanto is lobbying to "ban the practice of distinguishing between milk from farms pledged not to use rBST and those that do."

Very insidious.

I personally wouldn't partner with Lockheed Martin if my tech was going to be used for weaponry. We've refused lucrative contracts with certain companies because we don't respect their product or their past behavior. It completely depends on the relative weight of what you find important.

Partnership deals happen in the background without anyone knowing about it unless you are in the scene. Fact is that they could've done this deal without such an announcement and people/investors in the know within SV would've heard about it.

The fact is that Monsanto has a long history of harmful activities in the United States (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monsanto#Environmental_and_heal...) and the world (http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/the-world-according-to-monsan...) that it is a red flag. Sure, Cloudant isn't a bio warfare company, but the fact is that they are proud to be associated with Monsanto.

What does not liking a company for it's past transgressions have anything to do with being anti-capitalist/anti-innovation/pro-taxes?

I think there's a difference between buying a product and working closely with a company in an intimate business relationship/partnership.

Not to mention that I don't think Apple (nor it's employees) would be publicly joyous about partnering with an ethically questionable company.

Yeah, screw ethics! I can't criticize anyone for anything unless I've been in there position!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z0AL4yml3bw

Well as long as we're giving anecdotes, nearly all of my friends who have iPhones are happy that the Apple Stores has that quality control.

On the flip side, it's hard to let go when maybe you should.

I love the projects I'm working in SV as a startup designer but sometimes I look at how life would be if I moved back from SF to all the amenities I have back in my hometown (properties, good longtime friends, less stress).

99% of the time I'm searching, I don't need to use the cache feature.

Thus, I think it makes sense that it's hidden in the preview flyout than having "cached" repeated over and over again. Makes for a much cleaner search results page.

PACs distribute money based on business interests. So the idea is that if your interests align with theirs, then it's easier for them to distribute the money to the wide array of candidates instead of you researching every single one.

"Also, does Facebook have a responsibility to track who's giving what? Because if they have international hires on staff, surely only citizens of the US can donate?"

Yes. I also believe your name is publicly listed as a donor if your contribution is over a certain amount. For example, here are the donors to AT&T's pac: http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/pacgave2.php?cycle=2012&...

On a slightly related note, companies with foreign HQs but with an American divisions can create PACs and get contributions from American employees.

"In my experience OKCupid profiles (the best available online dating site the last time I was single) were just a thin veneer of bullshit designed to sell only the best qualities."

The same could be said about meeting people in real life.

I prefer rdio. I prefer their UI and UX and haven't found much problems with their music selection.

"There has never been a version of Flash that hasn't piece a complete piece of garbage when it comes to stability and performance."

YMMZ. I'm using Chrome right now and I'd say despite playing lots of Flash games and watching players that use Flash, most of the crashes that happen are due to the browser.

I read similar rumors on MacRumors.

A shame but maybe the new MBP in 2012 will incorporate Ivy Bridge.

"I do want to keep using it but have no idea what's the point."

Pretty much.

Twitter covers my need to follow people not within my immediate network.

And 99% of my friends primarily post on Facebook.

"I don't know the law by name, but a contractor can only be kept on for a period of 6 months to a year. After that, they must be made full-time or removed. After a cool-down period, they can be rehired."

Is that true? I know of contractors from other countries who have worked in the U.S. for the same company for more than five years. And these companies are Fortune 500 so I assume they have a pretty rigid legal team.

My friends have had a very different experience.

It's much more comfortable to hold on the couch, at the cafe, in bed, or on the plane/car than being on a laptop.

Part of me feels like that in order to bring people back, they need to change the name. IE has had such an awful reputation for the last decade or so.

Have you tried Newslook? It's news video from third parties (i.e. Reuters) curated by editors.

"IE will never regain their old glory days."

Thank goodness for that.

My experience has been the opposite. Since I'm not on the lease and in some of these cases, can't move all my stuff in (because it's already furnished or the term is short), I shouldn't have to pay full price. When I've sublet my place to friends, I usually give a discount for that reason.

The prices do seem pretty high.

A great room in a shared apt Williamsburg/Greenpoint on Craigslist could be had for anywhere between 1000-1500 and the ones I see listed on Airbnb are like 1600 and above for either the same amenities or even less.

Useless is definitely too strong.

What's the percentage of users who manually change their font size? Is it the majority? Because if it's not, then I'd hardly call it "useless."

Except that in most agencies, designers don't code. So they spend 8-10 hours a day doing design.

Learning how to code does enhance work but it doesn't mean that you'll necessarily be a better designer than someone who doesn't know how to code but has a pretty firm grasp of what the web can do based on their experience using the medium.

I've worked with top tier designers in NYC who have probably never touched a line of code. And personally, I'd rather higher a highly talented designer and teach them the ropes (if they even need it) than a good designer/developer. Because quite frankly, it is extremely difficult to find individuals who are killer at both design and development. That's why most agencies have a pretty rigid division of labor.

"I agree completely that getting on board with someone you don't know well is a bad idea."

Eh I kind of disagree about this.

I ended up working on a project through a friend of a friend. A guy was doing some work on his own and needed some pro-bono help for his project. We have very different personalities but our skills complemented one another perfectly. We ended up moving out to the Bay Area together to work on our own projects. A year later, we've meshed extremely well given some tough circumstances.

There's absolutely no way we would've met back in Uni, as we frequented different circles.

Alternatively: http://project-s3.wnyc.org/news-maps/hurricane-zones/hurrica...