OK Y Combinator, I've been working on my online startup for 4 months.. comments? - <AUTHOR> http://postmyday.com <comment><USER2> My first thought is that it is exceedingly similar to Twitter. What features do you have to distinguish yourself (other than no 140 character limit)?

I personally really prefer sites that keep their header/introduction comments really minimal (I think twitter.com does a reasonable job of this). Overall at the moment your site reminds me of a visually modified php forum.

I keep seeing smart people using php to create their web apps, and I still don't understand why. Creating this app in Django or Rails would take days instead of months, and would likely more flexible to boot. I continue to wonder if I am missing something. Perhaps you are using a php framework and I am sufficiently uneducated about php to notice.

Honestly though, its great that you're out there building something, and I hope things go well for you. Simplify, simplify, simplify the visual components and distinguish, distinguish from Twitter (and from a forum), and you will be on the way to making something people want to use.

<comment><USER3> Don't assume that everyone who uses PHP don't use a framework. Anyone who uses a PHP framework can get similar development speed as someone who uses Django/Rails.

There's a reason why smart people uses PHP instead of Rails: Most notably it's proven to scale (Yahoo, Facebook). I have personally tried Rails and love it to bits. But the performance issue is not worth it. In the end, i wrote my own stripped down Rails-like framework in PHP in 1 week and migrated the app in a few days. Performance boost was very noticeable. (Avg page loading time dropped from 1.5 secs to 0.3s)

And to those anti-PHP fascists, yes it's possible to write neat PHP code. There is no scattered SQL in my app since i follow Rails' MVC structure. And since I code "functionally" _and don't use PHP OO features, so its half-baked object system doesn't bother me.

_ I don't mean pure functional. I mean i use lots of functions instead of object methods. I don't like mixing data with functions.

<comment><USER2> I explicitly stated in my post that I was unsure if he was using a php framework. I try to avoid unfounded assumptions, although I certainly make them.

Scaling can be overemphasized: it doesn't matter if it scales well if it doesn't work. Beyond that, Rails and Django both have sites getting hit with huge quantities of requests. Beyond that, many of the issues with scaling are database issues, not framework issues. As such you will have those same database issues regardless of the framework you chose.

I see scaling well on a Django site as being simpler than scaling well on php. Django has a potent caching system that is easy to activate (the creators of Django also created memcached, so the integration is exceptionally well done, but you can also cache to files, a database, etc), and it can be configured to cache at the level of granularity required (specific db queries, entire pages, components of pages, only for users who are not logged it, etc).

I have no doubt there are reasons to be using php over rails or django, but I don't think that scaling is one of them.

Finally, writing your own framework is the antithesis of doing something that scales well: your company and your programmers also have to scale along with your software.

<comment><USER3> The issue with Rails for me wasn't the database bottleneck. It was the ActiveRecord. It was using far too much memory and was taking up the bulk of the page loading time. After i migrated the app to my php framework, I downgraded to from a 2GBz 1GB RAM server to a 2GHz 512MB RAM server and i still get a performance boost. Running the rails app on the 512MB server was painfully slow.

Writing your own framework is a good compromise if it can give you that performance boost that the other frameworks can't give you. I've tried the other PHP frameworks and the best page loading time i got was 0.9s.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> \+ The domain name + the descriptive text didn't work for me. I couldn't understand what the site was about very quickly. Maybe you could create a tagline, and put it under your logo? That's such a standard that it's really intuitive and reassuring.

"PostMyDay.com -- Rant and rave about your day!"

Or whatever..

\+ I think you could cut back on the ads a bit. They're distracting and it's not like you have traffic to monetize yet.

\+ I love smallcaps font too, but I think you're overusing it.

\+ Maybe you can reduce the registration page. Not ask for any information you don't absolutely need. Make it less work to signup.

\+ Top left front page login box is rendering incorrectly for me. Password: is above input but Email: is to the left of input.

\+ Your use of the color red is a bit alarming. I see red and I think error/problem. Maybe make that stuff orangered or otherwise more mild?

\+ As for the concept I think the biggest weakness is: Why do I need this thing? Maybe I'd like to bitch about my day, but why would I want to do it on here?

\+ Maybe you could ask "What time do you get off?" and send an email to users everyday before or after they leave work asking "How was your day?". Send a link to update their page or accept their response email as a post?

</comment><comment><USER5> I like the concept. It does resemble twitter in some aspects, but you can differentiate it somehow to increase your chances of success. Some other notes about the design:

\- Simplify. It looks busy. \- Get assistance from a web designer to help with the layout and colors. \- Don't put ads on the home page. \- Even on the other pages, use less ads. Especially lose the flashy banners. Why does the registration page have a big flashy banner at the top?

Good luck.

</comment><comment><USER6> The main text on the FAQ page is too small. It might be nice to make it a little more friendly in tone too, less like a manual. Suggest the profile image doesn't have to be 50x50; let them upload anything under a certain declared number of bytes then you scale it and throw away the upload.</comment>


A brief, yet helpful, lesson on elementary resource-locking strategy - <AUTHOR> http://reprog.wordpress.com/2010/03/30/a-brief-yet-helpful-lesson-on-elementary-resource-locking-strategy/ <comment><USER2> This reminds me of my almost-always full dishwashing racks which I use as a second chance FIFO cache for dining.

<comment><AUTHOR> On the two most recent occasions when I have had the opportunity to design a new kitchen layout I have made the case for installing two dishwashers. Such units are not that much more expensive than the cupboards they would replace but with one taking dirty crockery and the other dispensing clean - the time saving would be substantial. Sadly such a logical approach does not accord with my wife's views on kitchen organisation.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> Funny as hell</comment>


Getting rid of burnout permanently - <AUTHOR> http://kentnguyen.com/personal/getting-rid-burnouts/ <comment><USER2> Um... Not work so hard?

I'm not a programmer, so I'm viewing the stuff on hacker news from outside the bubble, so to speak. And from here, y'all look crazy. To the average person, spending extra hours at work with no overtime pay is absurd, but you all discuss it like it's no big deal.

Your industry needs a huge cultural overhaul. People must be trained not to accept burnout as normal.

<comment><USER3> I program because I love it. It's my hobby. I quit my job a 14 months ago. 5 months ago I thought of an idea I wanted to pursue. I've been spending 8-12 hours a day 5-6 days a week on it since then.

I'm sorry you apparently picked a career you don't get real enjoyment from. Those of us that picked something we love don't see doing it a lot as a negative. We see it as just that, doing something we love.

<comment><USER4> You're getting voted down by people who assume that your experience can't possibly be real because it isn't their experience, but I feel the same as you.

There are dozens of us!

<comment><USER5> I submit, as argued in my other comment, that greggman is the one assuming his/her experience should take priority.

If you are able to work years on end at 70 hours a week then more power to you. But that doesn't mean other people who do burn out are to blame or inferior b/c they didn't follow in greggman's footsteps or didn't choose "a career you don't get real enjoyment from".

Moreover, seriously consider this: Is working 72 hours for just 5 months enough to burn someone out? Especially if your young and responsibility free, wouldn't it take a lot longer?

<comment><USER3> You're reading a lot into my reply. I'm replying to the parent to my comment which was arguably judgemental in saying "y'all look crazy" and "spending extra hours at work with no overtime pay is absurd" and "Your industry needs a huge cultural overhaul"

My response is to that.

My response is even in line with the article this is linked about. That message paraphrased is "If you like what you're doing you won't get burnt out. If you're getting burnt out you're probably doing stuff you don't like doing."

I know plenty of other people in my camp. People with 2 or 3 kids that some how manage to find time to code and learn new tech after work because they just love it. As concrete examples, one of them is designing 3D software to generate STL files for 3D parts so he can design toys for his kids. Another just got both an Amazon Fire and has already created one tiny app on it and now just got his Oculus Rift 2 and is playing with it. How he finds the time with three kids I have no idea but he posts is progress regularly on his FB.

If you don't want to work a lot I have no issues with that. What I have issue with is people calling me "..crazy" for doing something I enjoy. If you don't enjoy it fine. Do something else. If I enjoy it let me enjoy it!

<comment><USER2> You're not crazy for doing what you love. You're crazy for thinking you can cram in every single thing that you love, plus rest, eating, and excercise, into one day, and not collapse at some point.

"How he finds the time with three kids I have no idea but he posts is progress regularly on his FB."

Maybe he doesn't find the time.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> I agree with the majority of the article, but one thing leapt out - the first question that the author suggests might 'help you to pinpoint your resentment';

 _Why do you want to take a break, go on holiday? What are you really running away from?_

Taking a break and going on holiday is not running away from things. Even if you're working on something that you absolutely _love_ , with an amazing team of people, doing something that will change the world - it's still a good idea to take a break. Experiencing different cultures, seeing new things, getting out of your comfort zone, and looking at things from a different perspective is fantastically useful. It makes you see things differently. Going on holiday is a good thing _in itself_ ; it isn't merely a cure for the bad things.

<comment><USER7> I think the article exactly agrees with you.

If you think that going on holiday will make things easier at work, you're probably wrong. Work is work, and taking a break from it doesn't make it not work. More importantly, if you take a break for a bit, then come back to the same grind, it's still going to burn you out.

If you are worried that you're burning out, and you find yourself trying to solve it by taking more vacations, ask yourself, "Why do I want to take a vacation?" You will probably find you want to get away from something (the "wrong" reason), vs. trying something new or doing something different (the "right" reason).

Like you said, take vacations that are a change of view (even if that view is just the beach for a week), not to quit missing your Tuesday Night Dinner.

<comment><AUTHOR> Exactly what I meant. Thank you.

While you don't have to agree completely with me, and holiday are always nice. But if you _need_ to take a holiday, then perhaps you do have something on your mind that you want to get rid of.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> Fantastic Article.

Three weeks ago I hit absolute rock bottom with exhaustion from working hard for the last 2 years (I worked out I've been working 70-80 hour weeks since Dev 2010 with 8 days off in 4 years).

I resolved to get my life sorted out, I cut back work hours drastically, started riding my bike more and went to the Doctors to get help with sleeping tablets and pain management (the last 3 months I've been waiting for a double wisdom extraction) and stopped trying to carry the world and it's problems on my shoulders.

Later that week I found in a fairly horrible way that my partner of 7 years had cheated on me and I threw her out.

I stuck with the resolution I'd made to keep changing my life.

Now I'm sat at work taking a break after writing some really nice code to handle a problem that had stumped me for a month, I'll pack up for the day in a couple of hours then I'm going home to have a shower and going out on my bike for a 45 mile ride then home, netflix documentary and sleep.

In the last month I nearly destroyed my business, my health and my wellbeing as well as losing a long term relationship and I'm happier today than I have been in 4 years.

I have off moments but I just remember how bad I felt when I was sat at 2am watching the moon wishing everything would end and that they will pass in time.

The anxiety attacks have just about gone completely and meditation seems to control the ones that I do get.

I've also realised that none of this stuff business, relationship or whatever is worth sacrificing my own long term happiness over, I was miserable for 4 years, no more.

<comment><USER9> Good for you.

One question though: did your spouse cheating on you have anything to do with you working that much for the last 4 years? How did the relationship even last that long? How much time did you spend together and how many nice things did you do together?

I'm asking because the relationship I'm in would probably suffer a lot if I worked 80 hour weeks for two weeks in a row, let alone 4 years. I'm wondering how other people's relationships look from the inside.

<comment><USER8> > did your spouse cheating on you have anything to do with you working that > much for the last 4 years?

Probably, I worked so hard to build a future for us both that I ended up neglecting her far too much, I think if you don't get the emotional support you deserve off your other half sometimes you'll be tempted to look for it elsewhere, I can forgive her for that but I don't want to be in a relationship with someone who cheats, she could have at any point told me that's how she was feeling and I would have listened, mistakes both sides.

> How did the relationship even last that long?

We loved each other and I was working for our future plus despite the hours I tried to make time for her.

> I'm wondering how other people's relationships look from the inside.

I'm wondering that as well, the reality is that when you work 9am - 7pm 7 days a week there is not much time or energy to do anything else.

I've learnt my lesson but it came at a high price however the price would be wasted if I didn't learn.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Some companies see their employees as orange trees that they need to keep healthy year after year.

Some companies see their employees as oranges they need to squeeze as much as possible.

<comment><USER11> There are doors. There are revolving doors.

<comment><USER12> There are doors that let you in

And out but never open

But there are trapdoors

That you can't come back from

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER13> In my opinion and unfortunately experience, burnout is tightly coupled with procrastination. Neither burnout, nor procrastination is classified as disease, though. It is known, that a burnout is a life-management difficulty. [1]

To get to my point, the whole burnout process starts with procrastinating. However, the sources for procrastination can be very different. This is where you should fight the problem. If you have depression, get help. If you are lazy, well that sucks. (Sounds easy, I know. It is not easy in real life, I know). But in the end, your own inaction is digging your grave.

It's not the break you need. You need a new approach to handling life. Handling life differently. If you keep "only" taking breaks, the burnout becomes a cycle, instead of a one-time exhaustion. And you will go throught this cycle often.

The fact that I'm writing this, instead of studing/working, shows that my procrastination problem continues to grow, and eventually enlarging the burnout on the horizon.

[1] [http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2010/en#/Z7...](http://apps.who.int/classifications/icd10/browse/2010/en#/Z73.0)

</comment><comment><USER14> "As a software developer, I'm passionate about writing codes and creating new things. However, as I also need to perform managerial duties, I had less and less time to do so. Repeatedly, I had to work for days without writing any useful code for the team, I became highly agitated."

It's surprising how hard it can be to find time to just write code, even with a full time job in software development.

Meetings. Email. Technical feasibility. Gathering requirements. Testing. Investigating bugs. Various forms of technical support. Architecture and design. Documentation. Time sheets. Reports. Fixing builds and managing dependencies.

All of these are good and important and necessary for any software product to succeed. But they call also really suck the passion and productivity out of a person.

<comment><USER15> "All of these are good and important and necessary for any software product to succeed. But they call also really suck the passion and productivity out of a person." Exactly! How do you normally deal with these? (Just curious as a still younger developer who has recently left business corporate world (excel etc.) about a year ago to pursue developing as full time at a startup)

These are the most frustrating things that start consuming a growing chunk of your time. Writing code for hours on trot to solve problems is always a joy, but when these coding sessions start becoming rare... well you just start hating these hygiene things even more and at times this negativity starts extending to people and other stuff around... Not cool at all. Still looking for better solutions... as these are what i think contribute more towards the frustration and consequently burnouts

<comment><USER14> Occasionally I will block off a several hour appointment on my calendar labeled "Develop Software". Usually works. Sometimes do it for our entire team.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER16> Here's a crazy idea: work less. Try first with a 40 hour week. Then 35. Just the 40 hour week could probably give you enough time to do other things you want. And make this mental note: if your business _needs_ you constantly for more than 40 hours a week, you're doing something wrong. Your work should be your passion, but it shouldn't consume your life.

<comment><USER17> I agree with what you're saying but as someone who has had this issue recently but also already works a relaxed 36 hours a week I think the article was pretty much spot-on.

</comment></comment><comment><USER18> I'm pretty sure burnout is endemic to this industry, if not most of society. It's a good idea to be on the lookout. Don't underestimate the dangers of burning out (they may include losing your passion entirely).

Thanks for taking the time to write this article.

</comment><comment><USER19> The human body is generally well-adapted to maintaining homeostasis, in the absence of extreme illness and disease, i.e. feeling thirsty when you need fluids, hunger when you need calories and needing sleep when you're tired.

However, sometimes external and internal factors can cause us to ignore these basic needs/warning signs. The need to meet a deadline, the need to not let down your coworkers or the need to demonstrate "passions" for your line of work. The first two apply pretty much to any job nowadays, while the latter applies groups that are often expected to show a "portfolio" of their work, such as artists, musicians, graphic designers and increasingly, software developers.

All of these demands can easily lead to burnout and a lack of passion, not just tiredness. Feeling tired is one thing, as one usually ascribe that physical causes. But having a feeling of lacking passion can be soul-crushing, as it leads one to question whether one is in the right field of work. This is perhaps the one of the worst effects of burnout and must be avoided. Burnout is the cause and a lack of passion is merely a symptom.

Realizing there is much more to life than work-related goals, as the article suggests, is a good solution.

</comment><comment><USER20> The only way I've been able to avoid burnout is to be deeply involved in things outside of work. I work a 9-6 front-end development job, but I also teach people how to train their dogs once a week, I write creatively for my own purposes, and I teach coding classes a few times a year. By adding variety and focusing on a few things that are important to me, I don't get burnt out on any of them. It does mean that I'm busy, but I've never felt more stable than I do now. I think having those competing priorities helps me keep the balance that I need to avoid burnout.

<comment><USER21> In what context do you teach coding? I thoroughly enjoyed teaching while a TA in college, and have periodically thought I'd enjoy doing it again, but I don't have the inclination to go back for further degrees, nor deal with academia.

<comment><USER20> I've been teaching with Girl Develop It. If you have a chapter in your area, I highly recommend it! Both men and women can attend/teach, although its main goal is to promote more women in tech.

<comment><USER22> Rails Girls is also a great opportunity.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER23> The author's theory is that burnout is caused by not doing the things one loves.

I have a different, albeit perhaps related theory: burnout is caused by not being able to get in the "flow" for extended periods of time.

I can relate to the author's example of having split duties involving coding and not coding, as I'm in the same boat. About half of my week involves developing my company's learning management system, and the other half involves going to meetings about various training activities that are hosted on the system. The latter part is what causes burnout, because the meetings are spread out through the day and totally disrupt my flow. No matter how hard I have tried, I haven't been able to block out large, uninterrupted chunks. As a result, I find myself in these situations where just as I'm about to get in the zone, I get a reminder that says "meeting in 15 minutes!"

It has reached a point where I started looking for other jobs. Anyone need a Rails developer? :(

<comment><USER24> Sounds like my situation exactly. Down to looking for other jobs (except I am a Django developer).

</comment></comment><comment><USER25> Isn't burnout originally something way worse than exhausted and demotivated? Examples:

I burnt out once, it left me crying everytime I where alone and took me months to get through the first phase. Anything that reminded me about the old job, e.g. a faulty drive-train, could trigger stomach pain etc. It took 5 full years before I was really myself again even though I studied and had normal jobs during those years.

I have seen a couple of friends and colleagues go through the same. One of them was a promising technician who had to leave it.

Whenever I read articles like this I wonder if we are talking about the same kind of burnout? (And yes, English is not my first language.)

<comment><USER26> That sounds more like nervous breakdown than burnout.

</comment></comment><comment><USER27> I was writing code for this company. Had burnout. Couldn't concentrate. Like something was broken in my head. Tried. Couldn't. Stopped trying. Then tried some more. Then floated in a haze between trying and not-trying. Started having really bad dreams. Would wake up, run down the road freaked out. Hallucinating.

Quit my job of course. I'm not stupid.

</comment><comment><USER28> > there were times when I got completely burnt out as often as once every few > days

Hm, maybe we call two different things a _burnout_. I had it twice, one ending in a visit to ER, the other one blasting a single song at max volume for 20h then crying and trying to quit my job.

I don't think the author actually had one, at least not by my definition of it.

That aside, my main cause of burnouts was working extremely hard on something and not finishing it, for a long time. Or always going after a moving target. Management and goal setting issue, really, and easy one to solve - break huge goals into subgoals, or even - don't have big goals at all.

<comment><USER29> both of those sound like nervous breakdowns.

<comment><USER30> Which is what a bad burnout is.

<comment><USER31> If that's what you want to call it. I always thought of burnout as not being able or not having the desire to continue keeping up the professional pace that you've been keeping over a long period of time. It doesn't have to include any irrational element, or even explode into a cathartic moment to be burnout as far as I've heard it discussed.

'Succumbing to burnout' I get - 'having a burnout' is not a phrasing that I'm even familiar with.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER32> I firmly believe that the reason most major religions standardized a sabbath day was for mental health reasons. There's a lot of value to taking a day for yourself in which you do no work.

Even if you love what you do, you can't do it for 10 hours every single day for years.

<comment><USER33> I've heard something similar suggested as part of the reason for the spread of Islam. 5 prayer-breaks per day where you get to chill out in the shade for a bit is a pretty compelling offer in a hot part of the world. Especially if you are doing manual labour.

</comment></comment><comment><USER34> I don't think this article really says anything that isn't obvious. We all know that serious cases of burnout happen because you don't like what you're doing. We all only have so much patience and tolerance for things we dislike. The answer is to stop doing things you don't like doing so much, and do things you do like doing more, and make this a permanent change, not just a two week break before you jump back into the things you hate; that may prolong your tolerance, but you'll eventually run out again. We have to find an equilibrium between the enjoyable and the necessary that allows us to be productive but doesn't make us hate our lives. That's no secret.

The problem is that most people don't have many options to change their situation in a significant way -- all they can do, if they're lucky, is take a short vacation and hope that re-energizes them enough to go into another grueling year without having a breakdown. Some of us have to try to manage a constantly ongoing breakdown without disrupting the work that brings in the bacon.

If your version of "burnout" is completely resolved by taking a vacation, you weren't burning out, you just needed a short break. In my mind, burnout refers to a larger state of mental exhaustion.

<comment><USER35> Not exactly. Many people don't realize the situation at all. And also, there _are_ many ways to find and reserve time for things you love, which are not necessarily related with/constrained by your work at all. People just fall into a vicious cycle so that they gradually forget to do those things altogether, and let things continue deteriorating.

</comment></comment><comment><USER36> >> there were times when I got completely burnt out as often as once every few days.

That's not multiple burnouts. That's one burnout.

That's what burnout is like. It's not a complete inability to work. It's a lack of consistency. I think that's why so many people don't think to do anything about it. They think, "if I just quit being so lazy..." they could get everything done. Clearly, they're capable. And it is clearly not permanent. So the problem must be them, right?

Wrong. The problem with lack of consistency and reliability is a feedback loop. If you don't keep to regular, sustainable hours, your body will take up the deficit later. Your mean productivity is basically set, it's your standard deviation that you can control.

So, you either work really hard now and have everyone freak out that you're not being as productive as they've come to expect out of you. Or you just not establish an expectation of being hyperproductive in short bursts.

To overuse a metaphor: you don't win a marathon in the first 100 meters.

</comment><comment><USER37> Interesting article. I think burnout can be caused by a number of things, but I don't think everyone has a different burnout trigger. When faced with non- ideal conditions/expectations, burnout is inevitable. Sone people can cope with different burnout causes better than others, but if, say, your work is soul-scorching then it'll eventually get to you.

</comment><comment><USER35> Personally I think he exactly hit the spot. A few years ago I regularly did things that I loved so I was achieving in various aspects and feeling happy although doing a lot. But later some interpersonal relationships went awry, the habit was broken and my life descended into a mess, without myself really realizing it. These two years I've been doing much less yet feeling much more burnt out and ineffective than I previously was, indeed because I have been kept from those regular things that I love for too long. Unfortunately I didn't realize it in the beginning and probably even have already forgotten about it gradually. His wording of "epiphany" is exact.

Also, I think many of you here are simply misinterpreting what he means.

Why something you love and is important to you have to be something _in your work_?

Just as he himself says, he sets multiple rewards for himself, daily, weekly, monthly.

Where does he say that they are work-related at all?

</comment><comment><USER38> The simple truth is if you're pushing to excel in any competitive field you're gonna have to push yourself to the limit. That's why the startup game is push, make FU money and walk, not build a lifestyle business out of it, because by the time you're done there's nothing left. You've given it your all.

<comment><USER35> Read some Peter Thiel and he will tell you that in the ideal startup there should be no "competition" at all. Competition is a horrible and destructive thing.

Although, as a fact you have to realize that many people who excel in competition for example professional athletes keep an exceptionally good balance. In fact those at the top of competitions are almost always those who are very good at keeping balance. So your theory simply doesn't hold.

</comment></comment><comment><USER39> Real burnout has you feeling like your brain is empty, and creative work makes your head hurt. Last thing you want to do is look at more code.

I actually think this guide is much more accurate: [http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?BurnOut](http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?BurnOut)

</comment><comment><USER40> "how to deal with burnout more effective" \- That's the key. I have noted that my burnout often comes from situation, where I constantly feel that I'm not doing enough. Reason for that is that you should do everything and always optimize to maximum and be efficient. Things get fixed when you accept, that it's ok to lazily get to work, do something, if you feel like it, if you don't then don't. Then wonder home enjoying the world, it might take hours. Eat something, watch soap opera and go to sleep. - Suddenly you can feel happy, and not burned out at all. Need to be effective and performing well is the ultimate trap.

</comment><comment><USER41> "The solution is actually quite simple: do what you love and is important to you regularly."

Of course I agree - this is near impossible to argue. It's what pushed me into entrepreneurship after realizing I wanted to shape my own work reality if it was something I was going to be spending 40+ hours a week doing.

That said, a reality I feel like I'm coming to grips with is that most of my friends working traditional/conventional career paths really don't give a damn about their work.

I'm a little skeptical about the idea that this is practical information most people working normal jobs will follow through with (that basically means, quit).

</comment><comment><USER42> Why do we work?

Let's say that for most people following Hacker News, it's because their work matters to them; and, for others, it's just a paycheck.

Because of these differing work attitudes, you will see some expression of "burnout" (or some other work-related unhappiness). Keeping in mind these differences can help, but it won't solve this fundamental difference within a team.

<comment><USER31> >Let's say that for most people following Hacker News, it's because their work matters to them; and, for others, it's just a paycheck.

I read Hacker News, and I work just for a paycheck. If I weren't working for the paycheck, I'd expect to have to pay my employers.

</comment></comment><comment><USER43> It's odd but sex is not mentioned even once as a legitimate release.

<comment><USER44> It's common sense between many cultures and philosophies that sex _drains_ energy, at least for males.

<comment><USER45> It's "common sense" in many cultures that the opposite is true.

More importantly, the positive benefits of regular sex have been made evident by virtually every study ever done on the matter.

<comment><USER44> Stress lowers libido though, so I wonder how one would have energy for sex while feeling burned out.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER46> This article did strike a nerve esp Meyers quote about burnout stemming from the desire to not be able to do what u love regularly.

</comment><comment><USER47> If you don't have the following utterly optimized:

\- Nutrition \- Exercise \- Friends (Support Network)

The above will continue to happen. Get healthy, get a tribe. It's not HN, by the way.

<comment><USER48> "Get a tribe" is some of the best advice that can be had.

I think many people have this misconception that humans have "evolved" with technology, but in reality we're not that different than our plain-dwelling ancestors.

Sure we have better medicine and more gadgets, but we still have a strong, subconscious social desire to belong to a group of like-minded humans.

If you don't have a tribe, it's a good idea to find one.

<comment><USER47> Agreed. This is what Crossfit did for me, believe it or not. A group of well- adjusted, healthy people united by shared misery (sacrifice) who meet every day of the week for an hour or so.

They're some of my best friends.

It doesn't need to be Crossfit; it can be a user group, LAN gaming, cooking classes, rotary, biking, climbing, MAKER fair stuff, etc.

Just get out there and talk and share.</comment></comment></comment>


Pysimpledb - Python Simple Database Access - <AUTHOR> http://www.mikusa.com/pysimpledb/

<comment><USER2> I am not sure I like this use of decorators.

<comment><USER3> agreed. This is a massive misuse of decorators.

<comment><USER4> You know, my first reaction was the same as yours. But now I'm thinking "nifty hack" now that I've taken my Pythonista hat off.

Exploring stuff like that is what hacking is all about. I'd strangle someone who wrote a library like that for my project (and checked it in), but there's nothing wrong with experimenting now and again.

<comment><USER3> Correction: Nifty unnecessary hack. Why not just write a function which returns another function that performs the SQL statement? That is _almost_ but not quite exactly what the decorators do and it would accomplish exactly the same goal without clobbering python syntax. An even better solution would just be a function that executes an arbitrary SQL query. That also has the benefit that it can be easily wrapped and easily debugged unlike the current mess.

examples:

create_sql_function(query): return a function that executes query.

execute_sql(query): execute a query.

Usage:

foo = create_sql_function('SELECT a, b FROM bar;') zzz(self, c, d): execute_sql('INSERT INTO ...')

<comment><USER4> These were my thoughts, too. Using functions instead of decorators would have many more benefits. I guess they could argue that some of the runtime performance moves to instantiation in the decorator approach.

Still, warn the new coders against it, but don't stone the guy. Let people explore. I'm probably one of the few people who didn't want decorators added at all (I think they're ugly and feel less pythonic than decorating after declaration), but I like seeing people experiment.</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: Protect yourself from majority cofounder? - throwaway-fp

Regular HN user here, posting under a throwaway account.
I'm in talks to join a small startup as a technical cofounder.
I've never had a cofounder relationship in a business before and only worked as a solo entrepreneur and a regular employee.
I really believe in this startup, and it's potential but I'm risk adverse. I will be working on the startup alongside my day job and other (mostly-passive) side projects.
In this case, the partner brings a lot more to the table than I do (including their audience and especially their customer base). The project will not be a success without them (but could be without myself). So, I'll be doing a lot of up-front pre-revenue work but taking a minority ownership.
With that said, what steps can one take to protect themselves, as a minority owner, from a majority owner?  And what things should I look out for?  And how have others structured similar partnerships? <comment><AUTHOR> IANAL, but here is what I would do at a minimum. First and foremost make sure you have a shareholder agreement that clearly lays out what your role is and what is expected of you.

It really doesn't sound like you are taking any risk (i.e. you are keeping your job, you are going to continue to work on your own projects), so the bigger question is how much time and value are you really adding to the startup? You will want to be clear in your agreement what your intentions are and how much time you are willing to devote. While telling your co-founder that you plan to keep your job and work on other projects sounds good in theory, when something doesn't get done or a milestone is missed, you are going to be the easy target for that failure.

Startups are risk inherent, and if you don't have any tolerance for risk they definitely are not for you. Animosity can fester when one founder is taking all the risk and the others are just along for the ride.

From your side things you may want to clarify are what your ownership percentage is, what the vesting is going to be, are you getting paid and if so how much, what your duties are, etc.. After you have a shareholder agreement drawn up, it is better to spend a couple hundred dollars to have your own attorney review it. Those dollars spent now could save you aggravation or even costly expenses down the road.

<comment> throwaway-fp Sorry, one detail I should have added: the other founder is also risk-adverse and is keeping her day job as well.

We've both taken on side-businesses before, and both solo. And both, while working a regular day job.

<comment><AUTHOR> That makes a difference and is good. I would still get a clear shareholder agreement in place outlining expectations and roles. It can avoid confusion down the road and help prevent potential problems before they arise.</comment></comment></comment>


What if you can control current patterns? - <AUTHOR> program/data/web/whatever you see in the computer physically exist as a current pattern.
machine instructions are also current patterns.
windows8 dvd is a laser disk which has patterns. these patterns allow cd rom to recreate original current patterns
when you upload file to server: you are sending current pattern to server and sever store that pattern as magnetic form.
when you download file from server: server hd regenerate current pattern using magnetic pattern and send it to your pc.
when you type a document, you are generating current pattern on ram.
when you save it, you are converting that current pattern into magnetic pattern.
when you download a file, you are receiving a current pattern someone created long time ago.
when you create a new file/program, you are introducing a new current pattern into the world.
when you share it, you are sharing that current pattern with the world.
software physically exists as a current pattern.
there is no image/sound/text/instructions on pc. only current patterns.
when you type a status on fb, you are generating new current pattern and share it with your friends.
illusion made by output devices like screen/speaker
when we consider a programmer, everything is a number to cpu.
but in physically, computer cannot handle numbers, all it can handle is current.
what if you can control current patterns? <comment><AUTHOR> [https://hase85.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/illusion-of-the- curr...](https://hase85.wordpress.com/2015/09/12/illusion-of-the-current- patterns/)</comment>


We are not crushing it - <AUTHOR> http://hippoland.tumblr.com/post/42437946530/were-not-crushing-it

<comment><USER2> Great dose of reality. The companies I respect, and use, seem to have a gradual growth curve. One new customer at a time.

Chris Nagele (of Wildbit) echoed this in his "How to get 1000's of paying customers" talk: <http://justinjackson.ca/chris-nagele/>

</comment><comment><USER3> If you want to crush it, start a winery. Otherwise get ready for the ups and downs of real startup business.

This article is absolutely right. At the office, put your head down and work in reality. The only time you get to play in the "crushing it" vortex is at VC meetings.</comment>


Bitcoin on trial as prolific trader faces money laundering charges - <AUTHOR> http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-bitcoin-prosecution-20180319-story.html <comment><USER2> Money laundering with digital coins on small and large scale is going to become more and more common.

Look at Trump's ban on Venezuela's Petro Coins. Petro Coins are nothing more then a way for Venezuela to get around US sanctions. The Petro would be untracable so we wouldn't know who is supporting Venezuela. I would expect North Korea has thier own digital cryptocurreny coming out soon to launder money into the country.</comment>


Is AWS Startup Challenge Unfair to Bootstrappers? - <AUTHOR> http://blog.takeoffvideo.com/2010/11/22/is-aws-startup-challenge-unfair-to-bootstrappers/

<comment><USER2> I feel for the guy, entrepreneurs are a competitive bunch and losing is never easy to take, particularly when it can be interpreted as a shot against your startup's idea. That said, this comes off as nearly unadulterated sour grapes. Suggesting a second category with a smaller prize for bootstrapped or otherwise small startups is a fine idea. Taking it to the next level and saying that Amazon is being unfair by not doing so is a bit much.

Amazon is not a charity; they are indeed obligated to run any competitions in a way that maximizes AMZN shareholder value. This means spotlighting and helping out the startups that both use their services and have a high likelihood of success in the marketplace. It isn't surprising that many of the startups that have been validated by Amazon (by being selected for the semi- finals) have also been validated by venture capitalists. Should Amazon also provide laptops to all interested parties, so as not to exclude people without them?

It looks like several others have echoed the OP's sentiments on the Amazon announcement page, so maybe I'm off-base here. I just feel like everyone is better off not getting bent out of shape about winning contests; they should be seen as the lottery -- nice if you win them, no-op if you don't.

</comment><comment><USER3> It seems to me that the challenge is agnostic to your source of funding, and the actual complaint here is that the business world is not fair to bootstrappers.

Similarly, I can't compete in the NFL, but I don't accuse them of being unfair to small, scrawny dudes — I'm just not built to compete there, and I'm unwilling to accept the trade-offs in my life that would be necessary to have a chance.

</comment><comment><USER4> My guess is: Bootstrappers are not the target audience, VC funded startups are.

So, yes it's unfair to bootstrappers, but that's life.

How a challenge gets crafted has a significant impact on it's outcome, and Amazon and the backers of the challenge probably have goals to identify companies that don't quite match your profile.

It would be awesome if they had a prize tailored towards companies like yours, but I don't think they are under any obligation to do so, and if it doesn't directly or indirectly meet their business goals, I wouldn't advise them to.

</comment><comment><USER5> My company (gazaro.com) got accepted to the AWS Startup Challenge last year, and although we did have a small amount of funding (non-VC), we were essentially running a bootstrapped company at the time. We didn't win the "challenge". We were probably at a disadvantage from the start because we were against VC funded companies, but I think we did a very good job and I was generally happy with how the event went. Our only gripe with the event was the lack of media.

I'm unsure if Amazon changed their qualification threshold, but we certainly didn't have and VC funding when we participated in the contest last year.

</comment><comment><USER6> "I couldn't help but wonder if the whole thing is an elitist outlet for VCs to gain publicity for their latest investments."

I would guess the top competitors in this competition are more interested in the free advertising/marketing opportunities than the cash/credit prizes. The prize isn't the money, it is Amazon's endorsement.

</comment><comment><USER7> My business (LabSlice) was just announced as a semi-finalist. I didn't even realize it was publicly announced until I clicked this link in the poster's blog: [http://aws.typepad.com/aws/2010/11/aws-start-up- challenge-20...](http://aws.typepad.com/aws/2010/11/aws-start-up- challenge-2010-finalists.html).

I am just a data point, but it's worth mentioning that LabSlice has no VC funding at all, and is truly a startup (ie. the website has only been online for a month or so). So on the one hand I can attest to some success, even without serious VC backing. On the other hand I will admit to surprise that the AWS competition classifies a startup as a business with less than $10M in revenues or $10M VC funding. Sure, they may technically be a startup, but they are in a much different league to the guy in the basement.

In some ways it would be pragmatic to have a VC funded tier and a non-VC funded tier. That's the only way to differentiate businesses to give a better chance to the little guy. But in reality this is a competition that Amazon funded out of their pocket and they can call whatever rules they see fit.

<comment><USER8> Wow...I never knew about the part "as a business with less than $10M in revenues or $10M VC funding". Now it sounds like the contest is only a PR exercise. Not that it is surprising though.

<comment><USER7> "... that have not generated more than $10 million USD (approximately 7,584,950 EUR) in gross annual revenues and no more than $10 million USD (approximately 7,584,950 EUR) in outside funding."

I didn't want my own words to be the only source for this claim, so above is a cut'n'paste from the rulebook.

But still, LabSlice (and I believe one or two others) aren't near these figures and did get some sort of nomination.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> I'm not bitter. I never expected to win. I am surprised Amazon even puts on a contest with such lavish prizes.

AWS is a low cost way to start an app. They make bootstrapping possible. Therefore, I feel they are doing themselves a disservice by not representing these companies.

I merely wanted suggest a way to include small-timers like myself in this contest. And I did it by being honest about how I felt at the time. Would anyone have preferred otherwise?

BTW, since then I've been in touch with a great guy from AWS who thought my points were valid. Very cool and unnecessary of him. Maybe next year we'll see a "frugal" category. And maybe by then I'll have received funding and not be eligible :)

Anyway thanks everyone who weighed in. I urge all of you to check us out at www.takeoffvideo.com. You can reach me directly at stephenp@.

</comment><comment><USER9> The world does not owe you a 'best effort' ribbon.

</comment><comment><USER10> Related startup story.

I just spent two days in a long email conversation with Amazon.

I signed up for AWS 4 days before they started their freebie special, so once I realized this, I begged and pleaded with them to help my startup by grandfathering me in and letting me take advantage of the promotion.

All I got was form letters and BS.

I could have used another Amazon account, but I'm not going to cheat. I love the AWS stack, but as far as I'm concerned the folks at Amazon may be keen on PR, but they're no friends of startups, neither bootstrapped or otherwise, no matter how many contests they run. I also feel like the AWS guys are a completely different bunch than the rest of Amazon, who seem to care about their customers a lot more. And while I love the stack, I'm not impressed with the customer service at all. 99% of retailers will grandfather customers into a promotion if they ordered within a few days of the promotion starting.

Assholes.

There. That bit of venting made me feel better. :)

Hope it had the same effect on the OP.

The point being that sometimes venting and sour grapes serve a useful purpose.</comment>


Advice to the Not Bright and Not Young: College is... erm, not for everyone. - <AUTHOR> http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/print/200806/college

<comment><USER2> I don't think anyone believes that college is for everyone. The problem is that everybody believes that college is for them. As usual, the people who are least able are the worst at recognizing their (dis)ability level.

Sometimes I think that the greatest value of competitive post-secondary entrance processes is not so much that it allows institutions to get the best possible students as it is that is is provides less able students with some gentle encouragement to find a less academic course for their lives -- saving students from their own stupidity, so to speak. It seems almost cruel -- but isn't it far crueler to confront students with the irrefutable evidence of their idiocy?

</comment><comment><USER3> Stating my beliefs in educational opportunities usually results in someone wanting to punch me in the face. I'll risk upsetting a few people because I believe my opinion is valid.

I believe that the bottom ten percent of every class (I define class as the collective whole of a grade) should be kicked out of school and immediately placed into the workforce. There should be no second chances. In the end, only those with the drive and the ability for advanced study (I stress that both are needed) will be in a position to pursue a university education.

<comment><USER4> I will go out on a limb and agree that this isn't completely crazy.

I don't think you have to kick the bottom 10% of the class out...most of them probably won't have a problem leaving because they're not very good at school any way. I think it would be a good idea to give the bottom 10% an opportunity to leave school and enter the work force (I assume you're talking about high school kids only).

We could use some of the money we save on funding overcrowded schools to establish some kind of apprenticeship program for teenagers. I'm sure there are some problems with this, but it does seem to make some kind of sense.

<comment><USER3> I have never given thought as to what grade this could start with, but surely kicking someone out of the process at too early of an age is detrimental to society as a whole. I do, however, believe that there is a certain point at which this does become a great idea.

Are there any educational scholars on this board that could weigh in on this discussion.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> One thing the article doesn't mention is that community colleges offer English and Math classes that are basically _below_ 101 level, for people who aren't ready for the "entry-level" stuff yet. It sounds like a lot of people in his class would be candidates for that.

</comment><comment><USER6> Perhaps OP should spend a little less time writing about not teaching and a little more time teaching.

Imagine a hacker blaming his users for not understanding his web site. Why should we expect any less from a teacher?</comment>


Show HN: A monitoring Bot for your Turntable.fm Room - <AUTHOR> https://github.com/swerner/tt_fm_bot

<comment><AUTHOR> Hey all, I made this over the last couple weeks learning Node and Mongo in the process. It was originally just for the room I spend time in, but after some interest for one for other rooms, I made it more generic and easier for anyone to set one up of their own. It is built off Turntable API[1] by Alain Gilbert.

[1] <https://github.com/alaingilbert/Turntable-API></comment>


Molecule-sized motors that drill through the surface of cancer cells - <AUTHOR> https://phys.org/news/2019-05-chemists-cancer-killing-drill.html <comment><USER2> What happens in the lab, stays in the lab</comment>


A Frustrating UX: Downloading Safari  - <AUTHOR> http://www.nonelike.me/2012/11/a-frustrating-experience-downloading.html

<comment><USER2> Apple actually stopped supporting Safari on Windows since Safari 6.</comment>


The climate stakes of speedy delivery - <AUTHOR> https://www.axios.com/fast-delivery-climate-change-amazon-walmart-target-40d0b733-ad06-4b88-9a07-5ac9b6a5c03b.html <comment><USER2> There used to be an option to either have items ship when they are ready, or in one shipment. I can understand that if items are in different warehouses, they might need separate shipping. But these days, I order three items in one order, and get all three the same day, from different trucks.

This is silly when I don't care about speed. If I cared that much about getting items ASAP, I'd find it locally. The fact that I am ordering online means that I can wait. I'd prefer efficient delivery to ASAP delivery.

<comment><USER3> Does Amazon prime still incentivize for slower delivery? I used to pick that option pretty much every time since like you said if I wanted something faster I'll drive to the store.

<comment><USER4> On most items, I am offered either $1 off a digital product or $5 off a PrimePantry order (Amazon's choice which to offer on the page). I often take the digital offer, rarely the Pantry offer.

Tip: If you are ordering multiple things, you can often order N-1 of them with the delayed shipping offer and then order the last one with 2-day shipping and you'll often get the orders all picked and shipped together. (It's far from guaranteed, but seems to happen about 50% of the time, so you get the discounted digital offer and still get the items shipped efficiently and quickly.)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> No mention of the amount of CO2 _saved_ because of less trips to the store!

One delivery truck driving to everyone's home in a neighborhood is significantly less CO2 then everyone in the neighborhood driving to the mall!

<comment><USER6> It is, but only if you don't end up consuming significantly more, or with a poorer consumption pattern. I have no data on this but I wouldn't be surprised if delivery made people consume noticeably more than they otherwise would, and/or batch up fewer things at a time than they would.

<comment><USER7> I'm really curious about the result. While your point is valid, there's the other side as well - never shop hungry. And considering the local supermarket is busiest after 5pm, I'm sure many people do.

So there's buying extra for convenience vs impulse buying what you see. In my personnel experience shopping online, the impulse buys go away, but I make the shopping list the same way, with one big batch a week, so overall buying less.

<comment><USER6> Yeah, I am too. My point was just that it's harder to know than appears at first glance without actually measuring. It could easily go either way.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> I'm not one for future fetishism, but drone delivery has _huge_ potential to impact our daily lives.

<comment><USER9> Quite literally...</comment></comment>


My Name Is Daniel: He Could Have Been My Son. He Was Killed at 29 - <AUTHOR> https://medium.com/@joeleisenberg/his-name-was-daniel-7c0c590f3160 <comment><USER2> A postscript was published a few days ago: [https://medium.com/@joeleisenberg/his-name-was-daniel- postsc...](https://medium.com/@joeleisenberg/his-name-was-daniel-postscript- cd0533647e5c)

</comment><comment><USER3> I am not sure how we solve the peer validation issue. We can clearly see the impact of some surrogate parental validation here from the teacher to Daniel and it had a big impact. The peer validation issue though remained larger while he was in school really to Daniel's detriment. It really impacted his learning and it is very hard to separate out from the social setting. It takes a lot of delayed gratification in a place that feels much more permanent. This sets him up for difficulty later in life with no academic skills. I wonder if we can afford to do one on one intensive teaching for a while or maybe even small group classes (say 3 kids). This is a kid who clearly wanted a way out but didn't know how or believe he could. One on one therapy with a transition to small group classes works very well for kids with behavioral issues and autism. Also some psychological and CBT would have helped. That or we focus on military type boarding school but even those are hit and miss. I think our government really needs to step in and fund some alternatives so that we can end this epidemic.

<comment><USER4> We can solve the peer validation issue by ceasing to create it in the first place.

In the model of human development I and my peers were taught in public school in America, humans start out life as "parent-oriented" people. Then when we go to school we become "peer-oriented." I was taught that the transition from "parent orientation" to "peer orientation" is natural, inevitable, and healthy — but _it's none of those things._ In fact, transitioning to a peer orientation has ill effects on many people, including this dude Daniel.

Being peer-oriented rather than parent-oriented is obviously unhealthy: just look at Daniel's plight for proof of this obvious fact. But we teach that peer orientation is THE ONE AND ONLY healthy path to adulthood. We need to change what we teach. Daniel clearly yearned to connect with surrogate parent figures like this dude Joel, but _the system was set up to keep him oriented towards his peers rather than parents or surrogate parent figures._

No wonder Daniel suffered the consequences of peer-orientation when the entire school system is set up to make him oriented towards his peers.

Daniel is a casualty of the system. His "faults" were created and managed by the system itself. Daniel is the victim here and blaming the victim is not a good look.

<comment><USER5> This is a great post.

I feel much the same about life in state school in the UK.

You're chucked into a cage, essentially, with a bunch of unformed humans, when what is really needed is a solid set of role models. Teachers can't provide that wholly, because not everyone wants to be a teacher.

<comment><USER3> Aptly captured in Lord of the Flies.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> Yo, so what exactly is wrong with these guys? They are born in America and have so much support and they suck. Some of my friends grew up in rural Asia (yeah, the places of which people make fun of for lack of toilets or for poor English accents) and they freaking kick ass in America, becoming software engineers off loans they pay for themselves and shit like that.

And then these dudes are given free education _and_ mentors and all they can come up with is getting shot in a car chase? Come on.

<comment><USER7> Your friends may have been poor, but they probably had a stable family. They probably had parents who showed them love, made them feel safe, and taught them to follow the rules, work hard and dream big. It's scary how dysfunctional a person becomes, when they are deprived of those things.

I've seen this in a number of kids/adults who grew up in abusive homes. There's something inside them that is broken. Some people should just not be allowed to have kids.

<comment><USER8> Family stability, love, and community support play the biggest role in motivation and self-being. Ever try to get a depressed person to do something productive?

<comment><USER9> Not really. Shared environment generally doesn't matter for behavioral traits.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> The author tried to give him a chance, and it almost worked.

But then Daniel chose to do drugs. He chose to rob people. He chose to shoot a cop.

I have zero sympathy for Daniel.

</comment><comment><USER11> Wrenching story, wow. One of those ones where you don't know what to say.

</comment><comment><USER12> Mensa brilliant? Dont believe so.

</comment><comment><USER13> _" You're gonna teach me about the Holocaust, which never happened?"_

 _" Join your ancestors and die in an oven."_

Ok so, if the Holocaust didn't happen, how exactly did the teacher's ancestors "die in an oven"?

<comment><USER14> It's a plausible theory for the numbers to have been exaggerated.

</comment></comment><comment><USER15> A fuck-up will always be a fuck-up. And if they get their life straight for a short while, it's just a matter of time until their next relapse. Sad but true. And from their perspective it's never their own fault, it's always you or someone else's fault. Save yourself from a lot of headache by reducing your interactions with these kind of people, because they will just drain you of your energy.

<comment><USER4> You are incorrect. There are plenty of people who get their lives together after long periods of "fucking up."

Save yourself a lot of headache by abandoning your delusion that "a fuck-up will always be a fuck-up."</comment></comment>


Computer pioneer Ken Olsen dies - <AUTHOR> http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2011/02/08/computer_pioneer_ken_olsen_dies/ <comment><USER2> _Globe Staff / February 8, 2011_

<comment><AUTHOR> This went around Facebook... and in every case it took three or four people looking at the article to notice how old it was.

As one friend wrote: "_Still_ dead."</comment></comment>


OpenTable Finds An Opening On Yelp  - <AUTHOR> http://techcrunch.com/2010/06/03/opentable-finds-an-opening-on-yelp/ <comment><AUTHOR> This makes perfect sense given that UrbanSpoon is going after both of them. I bet this ends with Yelp acquiring OpenTable.

<comment><USER2> OpenTable is nearing a $1 billion market cap. [http://www.google.ca/finance?client=ob&q=NASDAQ:OPEN](http://www.google.ca/finance?client=ob&q=NASDAQ:OPEN)

I don't see Yelp having the kind of money to buy them.

Is UrbanSpoon making significant progress in this market? I'd assume OpenTable has a significant market lead, and thought most restaurants would work with only one provider.

<comment><AUTHOR> Wow, so they are! I didn't realize that OpenTable's market cap was that high. I stand corrected.</comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: Recommended sites for advertising tech jobs - <AUTHOR>

I work for a small Irish web startup (12 employees). We're currently trying to fill 2 new positions -- a PHP developer, based in Ireland, and an implementation consultant, based in our San Diego office.
(The implementation consultant is essentially a support specialist who would also provide web-based training and other services.)
Up until now, we've mostly recruited through friends/referrals, agencies ($$$) and some Irish jobs sites (jobs.ie, etc.), but I was hoping the HN community might be able to offer some better suggestions.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks! <comment><USER2> I have a list of startup/tech stuff related job sites I've collected over here,

<http://www.moondust.dds.nl/jobs.html>

(No ads, static html, not a blog, etc).

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks, that's really helpful! Startuply seems to be the biggest fish in the pond. Might as well try there first!

<comment><USER3> Nice - let me know how it goes for you.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> try techcrunch.com; <http://www.startuply.com/> and mashable.com

</comment><comment><USER5> <http://www.dice.com> for US tech jobs.</comment>


Ask HN: What is this email virus? - <AUTHOR>

I just received yet another spam message -- from a friend. This is the third spam email I've gotten in the past month or so, and it shows that it circulates to the sender's contact list. I think I know what is happening. Some of my less technical friends/relatives have picked up a virus somehow which accesses their address book, but what is it? It sends just a link in the message like ----pills.com, and comes legitimately from them at their hotmail/gmail account. Solving the spam issue completely would be a great startup, I think. <comment><USER2> First off these people need to change their passwords for their email accounts, I don't really know what virus it is but this would be the most likely culprit is a hacked email account (by bruteforce or maybe a virus as you say).

Second of all the only real way, that I can think of, to solve the spam problem (as spammers are perpetually one step ahead) would be a limited web of trust which isn't really a useful way to do email.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yeah, you may be right about there being no way to completely be rid of spam, since some form of sender/receipt opening is always necessary for legitimate mail.

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> I believe that this is a new form of attack by spammers. So far I have observed this only with hotmail accounts and it has happened to two people I know.

I received an email from my neighbor the other day with the title EMERGENCY. The email is below:

\</comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment>-----

This had to come in a hurry and it has left me in a devastating state, it's an EMERGENCY. I'm in some terrible situation and I'm really going to need your help now. Few days ago, unannounced, I went on a trip to Glassglow, Scotland (United Kingdom) and unfortunately for me I got robbed by thieves, Everything I had on me were stolen, including my phone, credit card and cash and now I'm stranded right now.My return flight leaves in few hours time but I need some money to clear some bills, I didn't bring my cell phone along since I didn't get to roam them before coming over. So all I can do now is pay cash and get out of here quickly.

I do not want to make a scene of this that is why I did not call my house, this is embarrassing enough. I was wondering if you could loan me some cash, I'll refund it to you as soon as I arrive home just need to clear my hotel bills and get the next flight home, As soon as I get home I'll def refund it immediately.

Write me if you are willing to help so I can let you know how to get the money to me here.

Angela.

\</comment><comment></comment><comment></comment><comment>-----

I thought that there was something wrong with it but as a matter of courtesy I was not going to contact her family - in the case it was a legitimate email. Instead I decided to walk my dog and go over to her house to check if she was indeed in Scotland. As it turned out she was oblivious to what had happened and yes she was in the US not in Scotland.

It appears that the spammers/crooks (whatever you want to call them) hijacked her email address, changed her security question, changed her secondary email address so that the password reminder is routed to them, wiped all the contact information after they sent the email above to everyone.

She also told me that a lot of people called her phone offering to give her money to help with the situation.

A similar email was received by my boss from one of our common acquaintances. Needless to say that she did not send that email either.

Is this the new "Nigerian" scam? I don't know, but it would not hurt to employ an aggressive password changing policy.

As for your last point - solving the spam startup - yeah it would be great if we could do that, or even easier it would be to convince every company that holds a mail server to not allow any email unless the domain has SPF records. This way spoofing will cease to exist (people impersonating email identities). Once spoofing is gone, spam mail server IPs can easily be blocked.

/0.02 USD

<comment><AUTHOR> Wow, your email experience is more fascinating. That's a more creative/elaborate spam scheme. Nice of you to go ahead and physically check, too.

I'm thinking these people may have somehow embedded spyware on the victim's computers, and monitored their password that way. This is quite an advanced attack, and even bypasses SPF records, because I checked the email headers, and they legitimately had everything A-okay and authenticated, as if the person really sent it from their own account.

<comment><USER3> I agree the attack is very elaborate. However it might not be even malware as you suggested to sniff the password. A lot of users use the same password in a lot of sites. It only takes one to be hacked and that is it.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yeah, I agree it could just be bad password management. I've got the spam from 3 different people so far, so I thought it might be some similar and widespread attack.</comment></comment></comment></comment>


YC Application Reverse Engineering - <AUTHOR> http://standuply.com/blog/yc-application-advice/ <comment><USER2> great guide, thanks</comment>


Three great startups I could build if Google would give me access to their data - <AUTHOR> https://medium.com/@shemag8/three-great-startups-i-could-build-if-google-would-give-me-access-to-their-data-5fbd27b2e7bc <comment><USER2> I really don't understand what the op is suggesting, asking for or complaining about. He's happy trading his privacy for services, but mad(?) that they don't give him arbitrary access in the form he wants, but understands that its their product, but wishes they would anyway, but knows that a business never would, but wouldn't it be cool?

Plus the awesomeness of these ideas is debatable (trade even more data, tracking and privacy for neat feature) and by his own admission the product idea is the easy part of building a business, thus not really startups.

<comment><AUTHOR> Not mad. This is their product, it's reasonable enough that this is what they chose. Just food for thought for them (and for other companies too).

</comment></comment><comment><USER3> "N great things I would have if other people gave me their recources for free".

<comment><USER4> TBF he's giving _them_ the data in the first place.</comment></comment>


Making Resistive Magnets (2009) - <AUTHOR> https://nationalmaglab.org/news-events/feature-stories/making-resistive-magnets <comment><USER2> So, a "resistive magnet" is basically the same thing as your school science fair "bell wire wound on a nail" electromagnet, except it is made from very precisely manufactured copper plates stacked with insulators and drilled to accommodate flowing water. That's very interesting technology, plus the nesting of the "coils" for multiple "layers" on the magnets.

It's kinda analogous to winding an electromagnet very carefully, but the stacked design (along with the holes) allows for easy and effective liquid cooling. It's a somewhat outside of the box thinking of magnet design.

I find it curious that I'm just learning about this now - I've never, ever have seen this kind of magnet construction discussed anywhere (and it is apparently a long-used technique)? I would expect such a design to be discussed in numerous areas (or even just mentioned), but I've never seen anything about it in popular press magazines or books, or anywhere else except now?

I wonder why that is? Is it only because such magnets are for very specialized use-cases, and fabricating one is outside the capability of most organizations, let alone individuals? Or are the use-cases such that almost no one else needs them (ultra-high current and high Tesla output) - and those that do would be in the circles that know about this construction?

Again, I just find it strange; I mean, in my life, I've found books and other sources that detail how to build STMs, CAT Scanners, and Radio Telescopes - but nothing of the nature of a magnet like this (and overall, it's fairly simple in concept and construction).

<comment><USER3> It would be nice to know sort of the "back of the napkin" scale for types of electromagnets.

The magnets they talk about are 35 Tesla. I wonder what kinds of numbers you get from a fridge magnet, a bell wire+nail, or a crt or.. how many teslas (T) in a tesla (car)?

<comment><USER4> Most transformers and solenoids/electromagnets are less than 2 T (two Tesla) because the saturation density isn't much higher than that for typical core material. Much the same applies to electric motors.

See, for instance:

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saturation_%28magnetic%29

and for some easily readable background on transformers showing simple calculations for flux density:

      https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/transformer/transformer-basics.html

The magnets described in the article don't have ferromagnetic cores so they do not suffer from the same problem. On the other hand the technique is not really applicable to power transmission or motive power.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> The bitter plate design process is one of the most beautiful things about material engineering that exists!</comment>


Delta Lyft – Link Skymiles and Lyft - <AUTHOR> http://www.deltalyft.com <comment><USER2> So if you spend $1000 dollars on lyft, you're ~1/30th of the way to a free domestic flight. Seems like a better deal would be taking the cheaper of lyft or uber, not chasing the miles. I think a more useful partnership would be with the drivers, because they're usually racking up a lot more money & time with these services than the consumers are, and it would be difficult to get something useful out of this when you're getting a ~1% reward (miles valued about 1c/point) without doing a lot of volume.

<comment><USER3> $25,000 spent on Lyft gives you one domestic roundtrip. Assuming $10 per ride, it's 2500 rides, or 10 years to earn a ticket if you take Lyft 250 days per year.

<comment><USER4> If you're the kind of person who gets elite status on Delta, you're probably traveling a lot and taking a lot of taxi rides. I only travel a few weeks a year, but I can easily rack up a few hundred dollars of Lyft fares spending a week away from home base.

<comment><USER5> If you're racking up a lot of flying miles, you probably would want this feature for Uber instead of Lyft since Uber operates in cities outside the US.

Only someone who only frequently flies delta only for domestic travel would find utility of this from Lyft and event then Uber is comparable domestically.

<comment><USER6> SPG (Sheraton, Westin and friends) has had a similar partnership with Uber since last year.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> Interesting. Wondering if this means earning only redeemable SkyMiles[1][2], or actual Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs)- the ones that actually count towards status on Delta's loyalty program. Since the distinction isn't called out on the Delta Lyft site, either it's a scam, or we could perhaps cynically assume the less valuable type of SkyMiles (redeemable, not MQM).

[1] [https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/skymiles/skymiles- pr...](https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/skymiles/skymiles-program.html)

[2] quote from the Delta SkyMiles site: _" Redeemable miles differ from Medallion® Qualification Miles (MQMs), which are based on distance flown and help you qualify for Medallion status. Medallion status is earned through a combination of the miles or segments you fly plus your annual spending on Delta flights."_

<comment><USER8> > Interesting. Wondering if this means earning only redeemable SkyMiles[1][2], > or actual Medallion Qualifying Miles (MQMs) - the ones that actually count > towards status on Delta's loyalty program.

I would bet absolutely anything that there is no way Delta's going to allow people to earn MQMs off of Lyft, except _maybe_ a fixed number as a one-time signup promotion (the way they do for the higher-fee AmEx cards). But even that's unlikely.

The whole point of MQMs is that there's basically now way to earn them except by butt-in-seats flying, measured as the crow flies. If you pay $195 or $495 for the two higher-end AmEx cards _and_ spend $25K/year, they throw in a tiny number as a token gesture. But they introduced this system specifically as a result of people complaining that it was too easy to get medallion status on Delta without actually flying.

Beyond that, I'm not aware of any generally-available way to get MQMs on Delta.

<comment><USER9> You get a bump from flying more expensive fares for MQMs too, not just straight distance, but not as much as you might like if you're paying 3-4x for a fare...

<comment><USER8> > You get a bump from flying more expensive fares for MQMs too, not just > straight distance, but not as much as you might like if you're paying 3-4x > for a fare...

Hm, maybe if you're flying first class/Delta One, but I'm pretty sure you don't get any bump from any of the various fare classes that comprise Basic Economy/Main Cabin/Comfort+, even though some are more expensive than others for the same seat.

<comment><USER10> You would be wrong about that. Full-fare refundable economy (fare class "Y") carries a 1.5x multiplier on MQMs.

The full chart of MQM earning by fare class is available here:

[https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/skymiles/earn- miles/...](https://www.delta.com/content/www/en_US/skymiles/earn-miles/earn- miles-with-delta.html)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> They announced this a while back and the signup flow is STILL broken for me. Already have a Lyft account and they ask for a credit card on this signup. I'm not giving them a credit card just to link to my SkyMiles. I use apple pay in the app for a reason.

</comment><comment><USER12> Unfortunately Skymiles are more like Skypesos. Damn near impossible to get value out of them.

</comment><comment><USER13> Looks like Delta is also linking up with Airbnb [http://deltaairbnb.com](http://deltaairbnb.com)

Clever new way to attract customers and earn referral fees, but I think the SkyMiles yield from these programs is too low to bother with.

</comment><comment><USER14> ... why don't these sites live on Lyft or Delta's domains? Feels icky typing personal information into random domain names that have other brands embedded in them.

</comment><comment><USER3> Is Uber linked to any mileage program?

<comment><USER15> Dunno about mileage programs, but if you use certain Amex cards to pay for Ubers, you get double Amex MR points.

<comment><USER16> You also get $200/year towards Uber with a Platinum or Centurion Amex.</comment></comment></comment>


Ask HN: Dev in a company reliant on international travel. Should I get out ASAP? - <AUTHOR> We already did drastic measures where we shutdown one site.
Management is positive that we have enough cash to survive for more than 2-3 years.
Despite that I am not really sure this business model is viable due to the current pandemic and rising nationalism / isolationism from people.Even with coronavirus contained there will be fear of travel etc.
Should I wait to get laid off and collect severance package or should I be looking to move out ASAP? <comment><USER2> Get your resume together and start looking. You don't need to accept any job you get, but at the very least you'll have options.

While you can wait to get laid off, it could be a while. Depending on where you're based the severance package may be small or medium-sized.

</comment><comment><USER3> How transferable are the skills you are learning?

<comment><AUTHOR> This is a standard corporate job. C#,.NET,aws,linux,Xamarin etc</comment></comment>


Why is this program erroneously rejected by three C++ compilers? - <AUTHOR> http://stackoverflow.com/questions/5508110/why-is-this-program-erroneously-rejected-by-three-c-compilers/5508238#5508238 <comment><USER2> This is awesome. It's also an interesting exercise in the "there is no such thing as a compete specification" vein.

But it adds another question, should the specification lay out that much detail? Should we assume later that such interfaces might be used?

</comment><comment><USER3> Very clever. This seems like something I would see on reddit or even here on HN rather than on stack overflow.

I find the "locked" and "closed" messages very interesting. It is a good indication of the type of culture the stack overflow community has. While I find this very funny, many people that run the community clearly want people to ask seriously questions and for people to give thoughtful and on topic answers (not to suggest that it is a bad thing).

<comment><USER4> The stackoverflow elites take their jobs way too seriously.

<comment><USER5> If I recall correctly, a stated goal in starting Stack Overflow was to encourage developers to improve their writing. Ultimately, they created a site which encourages developers to act like bureaucrats.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> Good one, for a few seconds I didn't realized it was a png file :).

</comment><comment><USER7> Brillant, simply.</comment>


Ask HN: How long did it take you to get your first sale for your side project? - <AUTHOR> <comment><USER2> I built my project for myself, and started using it about a week after I'd first run `git init`. Once I did that I spent several weeks making it prettier, writing documentation, and before that was complete I had my first user.

I think it took me about a month to get my second user, and another month before I broke ten. Nowadays I seem to get 3-5 users every week for a free trial, a third of which go on to pay. So the growth is somewhat random and irregular.

</comment><comment><USER3> For my first one, it took me about 6 months, and lots of cold calling and networking.

However this was a B2B product, and worth £100k a year, so quite large sales.</comment>


Moral Machine - <AUTHOR> http://moralmachine.mit.edu/ <comment><USER2> I always wanted to read the descriptions anyway but often the graphics for the passengers and pedestrians took a long time to load or didn't load at all.</comment>