Nasa to Open International Space Station to Tourists - <AUTHOR> https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48560874 <comment><USER2> If I may, I am personally very excited for more people, especially wealthy people, to go into space so that many of them experience the overview effect.[0]

> The overview effect is a cognitive shift in awareness reported by some > astronauts during spaceflight, often while viewing the Earth from outer > space.

> It is the experience of seeing firsthand the reality of the Earth in space, > which is immediately understood to be a tiny, fragile ball of life, "hanging > in the void", shielded and nourished by a paper-thin atmosphere. From space, > national boundaries vanish, the conflicts that divide people become less > important, and the need to create a planetary society with the united will > to protect this "pale blue dot" becomes both obvious and imperative.

[0] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Overview_effect)

<comment><USER3> I wonder if VR would provide the same effect with today's technology or of the upcoming future.

<comment><USER4> I thought the same as soon as I read the original comment—I've had minor but similar feeling in VR. Try "Irrational Exuberance."

<comment><USER5> Never tried VR, but my initial reaction went like this: how is viewing Earth from space different than just looking at a video? -> the viewport is larger -> just use VR.

<comment><USER6> You'll get the sense of scale in VR, but I don't think you can get the realization that below you would be billions of people walking and bustling around you cannot even sense. The feeling of being so zoomed out and everything feeling so small.

In VR, a pixel would be only a pixel rendered from a fixed texture map and nothing more. Might not have the same effect.

<comment><USER7> Plus, of course, you'd be in microgravity. I'm sure that adds quite a kick to the visuals (which wouldn't be present in VR.)

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> [1] is a link to the NASA press release.

At a glance, it looks less about space tourism and more about enabling private companies to begin manufacturing and development in LEO or conduct experiments that NASA themselves don't need to be directly involved in.

In fact it seems to specifically call out that private astronauts are only allowed if they enable the allowed "activities".

Also, it looks like they are looking to have a dedicated "commercial" section of the ISS, and long term they want to have multiple commercial destinations in LEO!

[1] [https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-opens- international-...](https://www.nasa.gov/press-release/nasa-opens- international-space-station-to-new-commercial-opportunities-private)

<comment><USER9> It'd be great if they mandated that any research performed must be made public with free use of that research.

<comment><USER10> Absolutely! The private company will have some high costs associated with a single trip, but it's the taxpayers that footed most of the $100B station to make it all possible.

<comment><USER11> You won't get any takers for offsetting some of that $100B in costs if there's zero incentive for a private company to fund such research.

<comment><USER12> I'm really thirsty, oh look a well built by the public, hey there's a bucket stall in the nearby town, I could get a bucket and then everyone can have a drink ... oh hang on though, other people might use my bucket.

Oh, best just stay thirsty then.

Hang on, perhaps I can force the people to pay for security guards that stop them from using my bucket ...

<comment><USER11> We are, of course, talking about research to develop intellectual property. Probably most people on HN are employed in producing protected intellectual property in some way.

<comment><USER13> > Probably most people on HN are employed in producing protected intellectual > property in some way.

I don't think most people on HN even believe in intellectual property conceptually, much less view their activities through that lens.

I develop software, and that software has a license (mostly AGPLv3 at this point) because I live in the real world. But it's nobody's property; it's just math.

<comment><USER11> Okay, and the companies that might utilize the space station also have to exist in the real world.

<comment><USER13> Maybe I'm just missing your line of reasoning here. I thought you were saying that you expected people on HN to rush to the defense of intellectual property as a viable abstraction for understanding (for example) software or research. Do I have it wrong?

Yes, companies exist in the real world. The real world is full of open source. And full of companies that produce open source material and don't regard it as "intellectual property" except insofar as to license it to protect themselves and their users/readers/customers.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> >> $35,000 (£27,500) per night.

That is cheaper than the multi-room suites on board the A380. It's cheaper than renting many boats.

Or maybe this is a trick. How long is a "night" on space station? Only an hour or so iirc. Maybe they get back to earth and get a surprise Expedia bill on their cc.

<comment><USER15> I've heard that the laws of your home apply in space, so some Californian should get a 30 day lease then force them to evict them :D

<comment><USER16> A great way to become the first human to be Spaced.

<comment><USER17> Getting someone evicted in California might take 2 years in court. For it to be that hard, they have to be in residence for over 2 years. There are all kinds of shenanigans lawyers can pull to draw out such processes.

<comment><USER18> Evictions usually happen much faster than that, like on the orders of days or weeks. See [https://www.attorneydavid.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take- to-...](https://www.attorneydavid.com/blog/how-long-does-it-take-to-evict-a- tenant-in-california/)

<comment><USER17> I've spoken to Bay Area attorneys about this. Non-disputed evictions take 4-6 weeks. That's non-disputed. That's on the long side! Other jurisdictions take a few days to 2 weeks for non-disputed. An additional month for disputed evictions is an average, so that's up to 10 weeks or so. It can drag out for much longer. It depends on how good the case is for each side.

<comment><USER16> In the parts of Canada I've lived the rules very much bias in favour of the resident, based on the logic that the cost to the landlord is financial but the cost to the residents is safety, health, etc.

If I recall, in some places you can't even evict in the winter. Same applies to utilities: it's illegal to disconnect heat (whether gas or electricity) in the winter even if for non payment.

Personally I prefer protecting residents at the cost of some people who exploit the system.

<comment><USER17> This is the logic behind California's laws.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER19> I love that they are doing this, but I am worried it may not be enough to keep the ISS up past 2024, but it is a good first step.

Some context for those that haven't been following closely: It costs NASA over 4 billion a year to maintain the ISS. [0]

While the vast majority of that cost is transportation to/from the ISS (around 2.4 billion), there is a sizeable chuck that if they could "offload" to the private sector, may allow NASA to keep the ISS in orbit longer than currently planned.

The problem is, at least until they grow a true market, that market isn't big enough to support that maintenance.

So, I _believe_ the strategy (which makes sense) is try and get a true market/interest in the ISS going. If they can do that successfully, it should lower the cost for everyone, potentially allowing for even more things to happen in LEO.

So we will see, but I will note one of the biggest risks for SpaceX/Blue Origin/others doing commercial resupply is that once ISS disappears, there is no ready customer/market for their commercial offerings for crew. No way faster to kill the infant commercial crew space industry than to starve it of revenue.

[0] [https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/fy_2018...](https://www.nasa.gov/sites/default/files/atoms/files/fy_2018_budget_presentation_media_telecon.pdf)

</comment><comment><USER20> They've done this before. Charles Simonyi [0] went up to the ISS in 2007 and 2009. I got to talk to him via ham radio.

Space Adventures [1] has been doing it since 2001, but it seem they haven't had any recent trips.

[0] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Simonyi](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Simonyi) [1] [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Adventures](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Adventures)

<comment><USER21> The previous space tourism was operated by the Russian space agency out of the Russian section of the ISS. NASA didn't particularly like this at the time but weren't in a position to do much about it.

</comment></comment><comment><USER22> Most people talk about 1) tourism and 2) research which makes sense, but I can see a lot of benefit for marketing and branding. Imagine promo videos of someone using your gadget in space. A private company could fly up a few models/actors, a few of the latest brands goods, and get shots looking back at earth or floating around.

Luxury goods like watches and pens have already capitalized on this (Fisher Space Pen, Omega Moonwatch). I could see other high margin luxury brands snagging a seat:

\- Sneakers (Air Jordans -> Space Jordans?)

\- Jewelry (Diamond industry could play up a diamonds/stars theme)

\- Fashion (play up the weightless/effortless aspect)

Any brand could get in on it if someone figured out the economics of a testing service. Small brands and Kickstarter projects could pool resources and fly up a few hundred toys and say they were 'tested in space'.

<comment><USER23> > fly up a few models/actors

More like 1, even for the biggest brands. This is going to be way expensive. I think you are onto a good idea, except I get the impression NASA will prioritize missions that contribute to commercial or science R&D and/or production.

<comment><USER23> From the press release:

To qualify, commercial and marketing activities must either: require the unique microgravity environment to enable manufacturing, production or development of a commercial application; have a connection to NASA's mission; or support the development of a sustainable low-Earth orbit economy.

<comment><USER22> That's a good point. There will be prioritization, and the costs could be so high as to rule out brand plays even if they could get the rules interpreted as loosely as possible. My idea might need to bake a bit longer. :)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment> jorge-d Given that ISS belongs to multiple countries (US / Russia / Japan / Canada / UE), is NASA allowed to sell tickets to travel there and get keep the benefits of the sell for itself ?

<comment><USER24> Each module is owned by its respective country.

<comment><USER25> So Canadians get strapped on for a ride on the Canadarm2? /s

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER26> It's NASA. Why don't the Brits understand acronyms?

<comment><USER27> It's Americans who are inconsistent with acronyms. Do you write LASER or RADAR? If it's pronounceable as a word, it's written as such. If it's pronounceable as letters, it's written how you would expect.

<comment><USER28> To be fair, the BBC style guide[1] isn't totally consistent either, though in general, initialisms are upper-case and acronyms are title-case (as we see here).

[1]: [https://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/en/articles/art201307021121335...](https://www.bbc.co.uk/academy/en/articles/art20130702112133530)

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER29> I remembered the EoL date for ISS being 2024, but it looks like a bill was passed this September extending it to 2030.

[https://spacenews.com/house-joins-senate-in-push-to- extend-i...](https://spacenews.com/house-joins-senate-in-push-to-extend-iss/)

</comment><comment><USER30> Why not consider running an auction in the early years to maximize private funding for operations?

</comment><comment><USER31> From the official tweet:

> @Space_Station is open for commercial business! Watch @Astro_Christina talk > about the steps we're taking to make our orbiting laboratory accessible to > all Americans.

Why is it limited only to Americans?

<comment><USER32> They are only allowing a very small number of people to go aboard, so I don't think it's that bizarre that a US agency is only picking Americans for the initial program.

<comment><USER12> I think it's more the "for access to the international space station" part that the questioner is interested in?

If the ISS is actually international then shouldn't access be open to all.

Nor that one expects USA decision makers not to extend their imperialism to space though.

<comment><USER33> "international" as in "multiple nations", not as in "everyone". It's a cooperation between multiple nations. If the US won't take you up you can still ask Russia, the EU, Canada and Japan if one of them will host you on the ISS.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER34> The food and room service better be top notch for what I'm paying here! Commander Kononenko, when the heck is my laundry gonna be done?! Hop hop!

</comment><comment><USER35> Whole new market for NoAirB&B rentals..

</comment><comment><USER36> > Nasa's announcement on Friday is part of a move towards full privatisation > of the ISS. US President Donald Trump published a budget last year which > called for the station to be defunded by the government by 2025.

I had no idea that the ISS was going to be de-funded. Does that even make sense?

<comment><USER11> The ISS has a limited life due to thermal cycling and such. (One hot/cold cycle every 90 minutes). Think airliner cycles. The first part was launched in 1998.

ISS was actually supposed to be deorbited in the 2015 timeframe under Bush II (to make funds available for the Constellation program), later extended to 2020 and then 2025.

I think most expect ISS to stay in orbit until 2028 or maybe a little later, so some extension is likely to happen regardless of what Trump's policy is (same as how Obama extended ISS). 30 years is a _really_ long time for safety- critical space hardware, and ISS absorbs an astronomical amount of funding. It's not hyperbole to say that the Trump Moon shot would have plenty of funding if ISS wasn't around. We're talking about an additional $4-5 billion per year.

<comment><USER37> I remember being angry when Congress cancelled fundings for Superconducting Super Collider but kept those for Space Station Freedom. From a scientific discovery standpoint, the decision was utterly unjustifiable. I'm willing to accept the contention that space exploration is more than science--it's the fulfillment of Man's aspiration. But if the existence of the space station becomes an impediment to space exploration itself then what exactly is the point?

<comment><USER11> I'm not sure I agree. Building ever-bigger colliders has pretty hardcore diminishing returns. ISS (what Space Station Freedom became) is also a platform with a whole bunch of scientific and now commercial applications, many of which were not even foreseen at the time. Additionally, CERN ended up building CERN, which basically accomplished the goals of SSC. I doubt anyone else would have taken up the mantle of ISS other than a few small modules.

But I agree it's potentially problematic that ISS has become a budget drain on NASA. That's why it's good to look for alternative customers/uses of ISS other than being entirely paid for by NASA.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER38> Hey Bbc, it's NASA not Nasa.

<comment><USER39> [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalization_in_English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capitalization_in_English)

> In British English, only the initial letter of an acronym is capitalized if > the acronym is read as a word, e.g., "Unesco."

You say "Bee Bee Cee", so they're the BBC. You do not say "Enn Aay Ess Aay", so it's "Nasa". "Nato" and "the UN". etc. Americans do it differently, but telling the folks who invented the language they're doing it wrong is a bit silly.

<comment><USER40> Great information but adding the "but telling the folks who invented the language they're doing it wrong is a bit silly." seemed unnessesary, not least I'm sure BBC do make mistakes from time to time. Nothing wrong with polite questioning no matter how expert someone is.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER41> Really off-topic and nit-picking: if you are going to editorialize the title to capital letters for every words (tourists -> Tourists) then do it at least for `NASA`.

While I Am At It, I Do Dislike random Capitalization :) and those rules [https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/capitalization/rules- for-...](https://grammar.yourdictionary.com/capitalization/rules-for- capitalization-in-titles.html)

<comment><USER42> Acronyms that become words sometimes lose their capitalization. Nasa is headed there.

See also: laser, scuba, radar, modem.

<comment><USER41> I don't think so. Which apparatus is a nasa supposed to be ?

edit: a laser, a scuba, a modem I can picture but what's a nasa ?

<comment><USER43> It's about pronunciation, not whether it's some tangible apparatus. That's you backsplaining the phenomenon.

You don't pronounce it "En Ay Es Ay". You say "Nasa". Someone in another comment thread links to a wiki article for more info.

<comment><USER41> Oh, I see now ! Thanks. That makes much more sense if it's about pronunciation and not some tangible apparatus (I wrongly deduced that).</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment>


Netbeans discontinues Rails support - <AUTHOR>

The below text went out to the mailing list this morning. A sad day for Rails...I've always felt theNetbeans support was top notch.
<comment></comment><comment>--
Dear NetBeans Community: After thorough consideration, we have taken the difficult step to discontinue support for Ruby on Rails in the NetBeans IDE. Two main issues underpin this decision: Java SE 7 and Java Development Kit 7 (JDK 7) are the next major releases of the Java SE platform, which Oracle is committed to deliver in 2011. A key objective of the NetBeans IDE has always been to offer superior support for the Java platform. To maintain that objective and capitalize on the JDK 7 release themes--multi-language support, developer productivity and performance--it is necessary that our engineering resources are committed to a timely and quality release of NetBeans IDE 7.0. Second: Although our Ruby support has historically been well received, based on existing low usage trends we are unable to justify the continued allocation of resources to support the feature. As of January 27, the Ruby on Rails module will be gone from development builds of NetBeans IDE 7.0. Developers who want to continue to use Ruby on Rails functionality in the NetBeans IDE should please visit the NetBeans Ruby Support page <http://wiki.netbeans.org/RubySupport> for details on how to do so going forward. We remain committed to delivering a first-class product to our community of developers and users, and we encourage your feedback on our mailing lists and forums <http://www.netbeans.org/community/lists/top.html>, on Twitter <http://twitter.com/netbeans>, or by writing to us <http://netbeans.org/about/contact.html>. Thank you for your continued support of NetBeans.  The NetBeans Team </comment><comment><USER2> What are your reasons for developing RoR on Netbeans?

<comment><USER3> When you're really used to work with some IDE (let's say you've been writing PHP in NetBeans for years, use a lot of keyboard shortcuts, etc), then the thought of leaving it and switching to some other editor to work on a RoR project is not the most comforting.

<comment><USER2> So what are your choices now? Eclipse?</comment></comment></comment>


Lenovo, HP, Dell Peripherals Face Unpatched Firmware Bugs - <AUTHOR> https://threatpost.com/lenovo-hp-dell-peripherals-unpatched-firmware/152936/ <comment> T3OU-736 Hrmmm. So, this seems a bit sneaky in its description. To wit: "First, an attacker gains access to a device via any method, be it physical access, malware that allows remote code execution and so on, and, with basic user privileges, the attacker can write malicious firmware to a vulnerable component. If the component doesn't require the firmware to be properly signed, the attacker's code is loaded. Depending on the peripheral in question, this can lead to a range of malicious activity."

Right, except in Linux and Windows, one must be an admin to the PCI/USB devices in a manner necessary to update the FW.

Additionally, and arguably more importantly, the lack of meaningful signature verification for device FW updates is a rather old state of affairs, going back at least a decade and a half, so why is this being released now? The cynic in me thinks about this being a PR piece, masquerading as an InfoSec article.

Without going down the path of "what is the root of trust for a signed update?" (for the sake of brevity), this is non-trivial problem to solve. Some FW, as part of the more general "driver", do go via Microsoft's WQHL, and some manufacturers do have signed updates on Linux (RPM signatures as an example).</comment>


DEFCON is in town, and Las Vegas club's site gets hacked - <AUTHOR> https://www.cnet.com/news/defcon-hacker-las-vegas-wet-republic-vandalized-tiesto-club/?ftag=COS-05-10aaa0b&linkId=40311718 <comment><USER2> TLDR: shareware download website with autostarting videos

<comment><USER3> That site was absolutely atrocious. Spent a few minutes removing elements with uBlock's tool; parsing all the scripts with uBlock, Privacy Badger. After all was said and done, didn't even read the article - just couldn't. Incredible.

\- 121 requests

\- 89.4 MB transferred

\- 38.4 s

That's POST 'sanitization.' I cut it off after that.

[http://i.imgur.com/N4rp7Qm.png](http://i.imgur.com/N4rp7Qm.png)

<comment><USER4> how on earth does anyone now think that's a positive website experience? autoplaying videos are awful. ads are bad enough. but the ridiculous amount of data they're just soaking up is unbelievable. Almost 90 MB!?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> I love DEFCON, attended a few times, but I never understand why the big LV hotels agree to host it.

 _Before you say 'money', my experience is that DEFCON attendees are very unlikely to gamble (the main reason to host conventions). Plus all the collateral damage: I remember the Starbucks POS systems at the Rio would always be hacked during DEFCON and other guests couldn't work out why the wifi didn't work_

<comment><USER6> >my experience is that DEFCON attendees are very unlikely to gamble

You're just hanging out in the wrong crowd.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> The 'hack' if you read the article, isn't actually any hack, instead it was in-house advertising for one of their events. It was not added as part of any hack.

The title is misleading, and needs to be rewritten. I suggest "Las Vegas Club advertising misinterpreted as a DEFCON hack"

</comment><comment><USER8> counter-point: this is viral marketing, and I'll bet it's incredibly effective.

</comment><comment><USER9> Maybe not a hack but a clever way for the venue to get the obvious free publicity.</comment>


Ask HN: What do you think about my first coding project? - <AUTHOR>

I've been teaching myself to code over the last couple of months and finally, this past weekend, decided to put my mind to actually trying to build something! So this is my first little project, Clearli a quick and simple weather app.
Please let me know what you think!
http://clearli.herokuapp.com/ <comment><USER2> Looks nice and good that you can now build a full app. Two things, you have a bug as it's 73 degrees F where I am and the site says 0. Also, keep in mind that a large part of coding is the quality of the source itself. To that end, there are many books on the subject such as Clean Code.

<comment><AUTHOR> I'll be sure to go back through and clean up my code, the site should however be displaying 0 if yesterday at this same time it was also, 73 degrees F, does this seem correct?

<comment><USER2> no, definitely a bug

<comment><USER3> No it's not a bug. I had to read it twice. For me it says _10°F warmer and a bit windier than this time yesterday. It's also way clearer than yesterday and it'll be warmer an hour from now._ The keyword in that is warmer. So if the temperature is the same as it was a day prior, it would be 0.

Very nice project by the way.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> I actually really like this. The natural language of the weather and the comparison to yesterday is helpful in understanding how I need to approach the day. This is impressive for a first project after only a few months! Mind sharing your recommended resources for learning?

<comment><AUTHOR> Of course, up until now my experience has been something along the lines of... first I completed Chris Pines learn to program and all of the exercises on Codeacademy. Next, I read the book, Beginning Ruby from Novice to Professional and completed some other online exercises such as the Ruby Monk problems. Most of the preparation I was doing at the time was to get ready for my interview to App Academy so, I also completed their prepwork which consisted of some TDD problems and an event planner from Jumpstart Labs.

Unfortunately I didn't do so great in the interview for App Academy and was rejected, which was last week, however following my interview I decided I would just set my mind to actually trying to build something to begin the process of teaching myself!

Hope this helps

<comment><AUTHOR> Here's a link to that prepwork if you're interested

<https://github.com/appacademy/prep-work>

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Seems pretty nice, but the background is repeating vertically here. It'd be good to be able to set my location manually too, it thinks I'm in London but I'm up North in Liverpool.

<comment><AUTHOR> I'll check into that background issue, I think the locations are off for some people because it's just checking their IP? I was hoping to include the option for people the just manually search locations in the next iteration. Thanks for the feedback though!

</comment></comment><comment> dan-g I enjoy how it's really clean. Have you thought about using bullet points instead of full sentences? It may be easier to get all of the information in one glance.

</comment><comment><USER6> Clickable: <http://clearli.herokuapp.com/>

</comment><comment><USER7> Nice job.

Try doing this to make the background prettier (albeit a bit more demanding on performance):

background-size: cover;</comment>


How to Get Hired at Fog Creek, Part 1 - <AUTHOR> http://hicks-wright.net/blog/how-to-get-a-job-at-fog-creek-part-1/

<comment><USER2> The question presents itself: why would someone that good want to work on project management software with such a funky user interface and oddball feature set?

<comment><USER3> That's the same sentiment I had. The software guys I've worked hated FogBugz so much they scared the crap out of our CEO. I watched Aardvark'd and once longed to work for The Great Fog Creek, but I've already moved onto bigger and better things.

<comment><USER4> In 15 years in the industry I have met many people who like to quote Joel Spolsky, but I have not come across one single person who actually uses a Fog Creek product. Kinda like lots of people have read ESR, but no-one is using his code...

<comment><USER5> How are they so profitable then?

<comment><USER6> A few things to consider...

1\. They have a stable base of corporate microsoft shops using fogbugz -- which is why none of us knows anybody using it. My guess is their other products make little if any revenue.

2\. They don't pay most of their people very much. They probably only have a dozen or so people on staff full time and everyone else is an intern.

3\. Their job board does pretty well. Quite a bit of passive $$$.

Fog Creek seems like a stable and profitable business. That said, there are thousands of profitable small boutique software companies out there.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER7> I've been on both sides of the hiring table in different professions (staffer, co-founder) and that article made my stomach turn. Anyone who puts up that much of a fuss lacks the courage to lead and manage people the right way - through inspiration.

To the youngsters out there: the more difficult they make it seem, the less they actually have to offer.

</comment><comment><USER8> I'm curious: how would people compare the prestige of working at Fog Creek vs. the prestige of working at Google? Or one of the other big Internet companies - Microsoft, Amazon, Yahoo, EBay, etc...?

I remember Joel doing similar how-to-get-hired essays when I was in college. I was always like, "Pffft. Why would I want to work for a company that does _bugtracking_ software?" Ended up taking a job at a financial software startup instead. I'm wondering if other people feel the same way or if I'm just a gigantic snob. (The two may not be mutually exclusive...)

<comment> brown9-2 I think that working at a company like Fog Creek or 37 Signals would be seen as highly prestigous, but only by a pretty limited audience: those that follow software development blogs.

Whereas working at Google, pretty much everyone who has touched a computer is familiar with who Google is.

So I guess it depends on what your intended audience is.

<comment><USER9> _pretty much everyone who has touched a computer is familiar with who Google is_

And they'll also generally think you're somehow in charge of search and e-mail at Google. :)

Kind of like having been in the Air Force and everyone asking you what kind of jet you piloted.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER10> Can I get rich working there in a reasonable time frame? Otherwise, why should I give a shit how?

</comment><comment><USER11> "The easiest way to show off your brains is to have had good grades in school. Just put your GPA on your resume and you're done."

Real bad litmus test.

I know lots of people who had a 4.0 who, if you dropped them off in the woods, would have just died.

OTOH, I know lots of others who were brilliant but too bored to care about grades.

Coding a one loop bubble sort in hex blindfolded while juggling eggs, playing 12 games of chess, solving a 100 x 100 sudoku, providing an alternate solution to the 4 color theorem, teleporting tonights winning Powerball numbers, and cooking dinner would be a more applicable barometer.

<comment><USER6> Unbelievable. The thing about fog creek is that they want highly competent technical engineers without any entrepreneur spirit. Joel is the leader and he needs code monkeys to carry out the work. People who make 4.0s are the exact kind of people they need-- discipline, reverence for authority, people pleasers-- people who won't rock the boat. For Fog Creek this is a great litmus test.

Think I'm full of it? Watch their little movie they put together then tell me I'm not spot on. (I hope you enjoy pimple faced programmers verbally fellating joel spolsky)

<http://www.projectaardvark.com/movie/>

Incidentally, Google has a similar aesthetic, although not to the same degree. People who are drawn to startups are not usually the kind of people you want in a corporate structure.

<comment><USER12> I lost all respect for Joel Spolsky when I read this article:

[http://www.inc.com/magazine/20090101/how-hard-could-it-be- th...](http://www.inc.com/magazine/20090101/how-hard-could-it-be-thanks-or-no- thanks_Printer_Friendly.html?partner=fogcreek)

Summary: Intern comes up with a job sales board for Fog Greek, grosses $1m. Joel decides not to compensate him, arguing that it is difficult to measure the contribution of each individual.

The whole article is sickening, because Joel tries so hard to contort reason and make it sound like he was being fair.

<comment><USER13> Well, not quite so--they did decide to offer him stock conditional upon him joining. While I don't agree with not coughing up a cash bonus, he is making a point about their culture, and that is always a dicey thing to fiddle with. And he isn't really in startup mode.

<comment><USER4> Stock in a company that isn't public and has no plans to IPO is literally worthless. Joel could have given him ONE HUNDRED BILLION shares if he'd wanted to. Well, almost worthless: it's worth exactly as much as one sheet of paper. Or half a sheet, since now you can only write on one side of it!

At least the t-shirt you could wear for yardwork or in the gym...

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER14> Creativity did not make the list of evaluation criteria.</comment>


We should treat algorithms like prescription drugs - <AUTHOR> https://qz.com/1540594/treating-algorithms-like-prescription-drugs-could-reduce-ai-bias/ <comment><USER2> Excellent topic to promote discussion of algorithms and their role; poor choice as a way to control the use and impact of algorithms. Proposing to model algorithm selection and use on the current prescription drug model seems to indicate limited knowledge of either domain.</comment>


How to use this blog - <AUTHOR> How do I get in touch with user pavil_lishin? I can't seem to add to this thread: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=14520390 <comment><USER2> Twitter: [https://twitter.com/pavel_lishin](https://twitter.com/pavel_lishin)</comment>


Don't start a business until people are asking you to - <AUTHOR> https://sivers.org/asking <comment><USER2> What about web services that are consumer related?

You could start a business if you like and charge people, maybe they pay.

But if you wait till someone "asks" you to take her money, you'll wait forever.</comment>


Show HN: Vetter - please critique my first web app - <AUTHOR> http://www.getvetter.com

<comment><USER2> I like the idea and the pitch. I think the copy itself reads a bit strangely and the design is a bit rough.

Is the vetting an essential part of the process when a company uses this? Are you sure? It seems like you're almost afraid just call it a suggestion box app because it might be too simple. Or even if the vetting is essential is it really the way to pitch and name this app?

<comment><AUTHOR> Yes, still learning a lot about copy and design... But hopefully we will be able to improve this with time.

Good question about the Vetting - I see what you're saying about it, and we've looked at some alternative approaches, but it seems to do a good job of getting users engaged in the rating / voting process at this point.

Do you think just a suggestion box app would be too simple?

Thanks for the feedback.

<comment><USER3> I can see "just a suggestion box" from the submitter perspective being really nice if it is _really_ simple. I'm talking "e-mail your suggestions to firstname.lastname@example.com" simple.

Perhaps some sort of analysis/aggregation on the backend for the person(s) who review the submitted suggestions. An interesting idea is using Bayesian spam filtering techniques to filter out "whiny" suggestions...

<comment><AUTHOR> Aye the backend could certainly use some additional processing. We're just working out the best way to approach this now. For the time being we just offer some simple sorting, tagging and categorization options, but we're working on locking down the next iteration. Thanks

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><AUTHOR> Quick bit of back story: Myself and a co-worker founded Vetter last year. I had been learning rails, and he had the idea for the project.

It has now been about 9 months, and we've learned a lot, are profitable, and fully-bootstrapped (aside from a small prize at the end of start-up weekend).

Thanks in advance for any feedback!

<comment><USER4> could you please elaborate that a bit? Is this your first project since you you were learning rails? Is rails your first language?

<comment><USER5> > Is rails your first language?

Sorry to nitpick, Rails is a framework, Ruby is the language :)

<comment><AUTHOR> Haha, fair enough. In either case, Ruby is my first language, and rails is the framework which I opted for~

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER6> Contact me at ckluis [at google's email system] if you'd like details for these suggestions.

I think the biggest improvement you can do is to create a 3 part footer with a teaser (mini-intro) into the 3 case studies. This would provide a very tangible benefit that is visible on every page. I would probably remove the case study link from the main menu.

Part of the benefit from this is it provides something on the blog side, where there is literally no calls to action or conversion.

Here is a hint. Go to hubspot's blog. Notice how they have a call to action on the bottom of every single post? It seems like a waste to have someone read something and have no way to convert.

The social set-up is pretty weak too. If you are not going to tweet your own posts - why should anyone else?

</comment><comment><USER7> Have there been any issues with the star rating system? I've seen that a lot of times users will tend to automatically avoid low ratings unless they have strong negative feelings about what they're reviewing: people generally just don't like to be mean.

Have you guys considered an upvote-only system (cf. Facebook, Quora, HN)? That removes the stigma of negative reviews, reduces the number of ratings that are inflated by sheer politeness, and still gives quality ideas prominence. Plus it's strict positive reinforcement (generally more addictive than negative feedback) versus no feedback at all: rather than becoming discouraged from low-star ratings, a user should be more motivated to create an idea that his coworkers respond strongly and positively to.

<comment><AUTHOR> Definitely something to consider. The tendency to rate things higher is definitely apparent with the star-rating system, so this is something we've been considering.

You've done a good job summarizing the pros of using an upvote-only system... something to consider over the next while. Thanks

<comment><USER7> (Oh! Forgot to mention that Vetter looks like it's shaping up to be a really great enterprise product!)

And have you looked at any ways to gamify Vetter? I'd imagine that having your ideas socially validated by your peers by itself would drive great engagement, but is that something you've considered?

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> nice product I like the idea.

just fyi: your domain <http://www.onbluedot.com/> is giving a folder listing atm. Probably not what you want.

A bit of feedback:

\- Validation errors on the signup, such as pw too short are too small/hard to see. I submitted the form and then was puzzled because nothing happened. Only after closer inspection did I see the error.

\- The site gives a mixed content SSL notice.

This is a nosy question so feel free to disregard: You mention that you're profitable at the moment. Does that mean 'Pay the hosting bills' profitable, or closer to 'Live off of this' profitable?

<comment><AUTHOR> Thanks for the feedback, I'll tidy up the validations / make them more clear.

Strange about the SSL notice - I'll look into this one.

As for profitability, we're somewhere in between the two points you mentioned :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER9> Layout is a bit wide I think. My laptop has 1440x900 resolution and I have to scroll horizontally to see all of your screenshot.

</comment><comment><USER10> How is it different from IdeaScale? <http://ideascale.com/>

<comment><USER11> IdeaScale doesn't specifically target internal ideas for companies, and there product is too complicated - they have way too many features.

<comment><AUTHOR> Yeah we tried to keep things simple the whole way through, and our focus is solely on the enterprise, rather than an external-facing "consumer" suggestion box.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER12> Are you looking for feedback on the execution or the idea as a viable and/or potentially large business?

<comment><AUTHOR> Anything and everything! At this point we are definitely looking to build our customer base, as it is relatively small currently, but feedback from users has been quite good so far.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> Looks great - congrats! Are you based on Twitter Bootstrap or does it just have a similar style/theme?

<comment><AUTHOR> Yup it is based on Twitter bootstrap... this was added in about 4 months after we launched. Thanks!

</comment></comment><comment><USER14> Seems similar to SoapBox... are you familiar? <http://soapboxhq.com/>

</comment><comment><USER15> Do you have paying customers?

I only ask because it really bugs me when an obviously brand new application has a "Most popular" distinction for one of their plans when it's clear that they really mean "Most profitable."</comment>


R moves up to 5th place in IEEE language rankings - <AUTHOR> http://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/r-moves-up-to-5th-place-in-ieee-language-rankings <comment><USER2> It's an interesting signal to see a very focused language moving up into the Top 5. At least to me this confirms that R is a)top notch for its purpose and b)the significance of its application is constantly rising.</comment>


Dutch Parliament demands net neutrality - <AUTHOR> http://translate.google.com/translate?js=n&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&layout=2&eotf=1&sl=auto&tl=en&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwebwereld.nl%2Fnieuws%2F106735%2Ftweede-kamer-eist-keiharde-netneutraliteit.html

<comment><USER2> Well, its good to see that in some jurisdictions, at least, there's widespread support for net neutrality. That said, we'll see if the Dutch Parliament maintains its resolve in the face of the massive amounts of lobbying they're sure to get from ISPs.

As a side note, is anyone else massively impressed by the quality of Google Translate these days? I mean, the quality of the translation is far above and beyond that of the "typical" machine translated text. Its almost as if a person with English as a second language had read and rewritten the text from the original Dutch.

<comment><USER3> The quality of the translation is astounding, you're right. Not perfect though. If you select some text, you'll see Google let's users submit improved translations, so some of it may actually have been manual.

</comment></comment><comment><USER4> A rare display where the far left (socialist and green party) are joined by the far right PVV party, normally voting with the current administration of christian democrats and liberal-conservatives under an agreement giving the minority government a majority in parliament.

Still, the administration can still ignore the demand or find other ways, and then there's still the European Parliament, where there are plans for a "great firewall" around Europe, so we may have won the battle, but not yet the war.

<comment><USER5> I think it's only rare if you make that 1-dimensional characterization. The PVV has similar populist origins as the labour and socialist parties and have fairly similar views on most societal issues. The main difference is that, unlike the socialist parties, the PVV does not support the equality principle. In fact, they actively oppose it. This is more commonly associated with liberalism (the "right wing"), which despite its best intentions, usually becomes a vehicle for corporatism and aristocrats that have no interest in equality. Nonetheless, the inequality that the PVV promotes is of a very different kind.

<comment><USER6> I'm unfamiliar with dutch politics but could these two positions be boiled down to equality of opportunity vs. equality of outcome?

<comment><USER7> not quite: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_for_Freedom#Political_iss...](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Party_for_Freedom#Political_issues)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> This is going to be interesting, seeing as how the European Parliament has something to say on the matter as well ...

Ultimately I am happy that my fellow country men see that net neutrality is the better way to go, and to just charge by the data used, not for what type of data it is.</comment>


How to Get Started with Competitive Programming – Scaler Academy - <AUTHOR> https://scaleracademy.blogspot.com/2020/06/how-to-get-started-with-competitive-programming.html <comment><AUTHOR> Since the problems posed to a programmer includes a considerable variety of approaches that a programmer needs to follow, programmers use commonly defined techniques and structures to solve these problems. This helps the programmer to manage the data in the problem efficiently, and approach the problem in a structured way.</comment>


Ask HN: Will Robinhood face legal consequences? - <AUTHOR> Will SEC/FINRA pursue action against Robinhood for their failings last month? Their support has been downright horrible, people have lost a lot of money, and I see a few "Class action" movements on Twitter but nothing on the news.<p>As for myself, Robinhood has been holding my money hostage for nearly 2 months, with no end is sight. I hope they are held accountable, but if anyone with knowledge of the factors at play here can chime in, I'd appreciate it. <comment><USER2> In cases like this they go through this process

[https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/14/robinhood-debate- highlights-...](https://www.cnbc.com/2018/12/14/robinhood-debate-highlights- differences-in-fdic-and-sipc-protections.html)

and eventually your accounts are transferred to another broker or possibly you get a cash settlement.</comment>


Meet the man who deactivated Trump's Twitter account - <AUTHOR> https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/29/meet-the-man-who-deactivated-trumps-twitter-account/ <comment><USER2> > He wants to build a wall to keep out immigrants.

That's a pretty dishonest way of phrasing it. Why must the media constantly lie?

<comment><USER3> Which is a bit ironic given the account suspensions on Twitter seem to affect more people on one side of the spectrum. I've seen pretty nasty things said from people on both sides, however, it appears that one side gets shut down more readily than the other, in essence building their own virtual echo wall.</comment></comment>


Why am I here? - <AUTHOR> http://sivers.org/here <comment><USER3> I have just finished an excellent online course called "The Brief History of Humankind"[1]. It was really an eye opener for me. I always loved history, but all the arguments people made about why we need to study it never really resonated with me. The stuff about "not repeating the same mistakes", "not re- inventing the wheel", "learning from the past" just never made much sense to me. The real reason to study history, as it was brilliantly presented in the course, is not to learn from the past, but to get liberated from it. We study the past to learn about our present. How did we get here? _Why are we here?_ Often, things we accept as "natural" or permanent, or "optimal" are just a result of decisions and events that occurred long ago in _very_ different context.

This post is an excellent reminder that sometimes we need to do the same on the personal level. We need to look back at our past in order to understand our present and decide about our future.

[1][https://www.coursera.org/course/humankind](https://www.coursera.org/course/humankind)

<comment><USER4> History is also great for providing intellectual perspective. A lot of people take as universal ideas that are actually peculiar to our own era; since no era gets everything right, the ideas and attitudes of the past can help you evaluate those you took for granted.

Of course, studying the future would probably work just as well, if that were possible.

</comment></comment><comment><USER5> I always felt that Singapore just doesn't seem like the right place for someone like Derek Sivers. It's a beautiful and wonderfully located place, but the stated or unstated reasons many US expats give for moving there are narrowly selfish -- in the sense of irrational selfishness vs enlightened self-interest -- low taxes, clean streets. Yet Singapore's culture is strongly communitarian: there may be low income taxes, but there are tons of other rules and regulations. The reason for the low taxes, an efficient, universal, and well functioning healthcare system, and so on isn't liberal individual empowerment (which is often the reason given for both individualistic economic policies like low tax rates _and_ for safety-net policies like universal healthcare in the West), it's greater communal good (which -- unlike in ther West -- is also defined in a way that's much more nuanced than "greatest good for the greatest number"). That reality may not hit people immediately, but it will eventually: e.g., if you plan to have kids, be ready for corporal punishment in most schools and even some junior colleges, and (far more burdensome and soul crushing for an individualistic soul) military conscription.

Derek talked about this in earlier essays and acknowledge that he was resetting his operating system towards a more communitarian, giving the example of nominally "converting" to Islam to marry a woman. Yet to me that reason still seemed narrowly selfish, a much more principled and selfless act would be to refuse to compromise one's greater cultural and religious heritage and forgo one of life's greatest long-term pleasures (love) -- something I would not endorse, as it would result in great misery for both himself and now wife.

Personally, I am lucky, as I found United State's "left coast" and "far west" cultures to be my home: I see my own culture was being a happy medium between these two, but I have a fluent understanding and appreciation of both of these cultures. They mesh far better than the cultures I've been brought up in (secular Jewish and Russian) and I'm very lucky that I have the ability to pick and choose -- I would simply not survive (in the physical sense) had I attempted to live a life true to my personal views in the land I was born in. I sincerely hope that Derek finds in New Zealand a culture he can belong to.

<comment><USER6> > If you plan to have kids, be ready for corporal punishment in most schools > and even some junior colleges, and (far more burdensome and soul crushing > for an individualistic soul) military conscription

For US expats raising their kids in Singapore, there is the option of sending them to the American international school ([http://www.sais.edu.sg/](http://www.sais.edu.sg/)) instead of the public Singaporean school system. As for military conscription, that only applies to citizens, so if your children take US citizenship instead of Singaporean citizenship (US practices Jus Sanguinis, so I think this is possible), they wouldn't have to worry about military service (I'm not Singaporean or an immigration lawyer, so don't take my word on that). In short, expats can totally avoid having that reality hit them. Expats tend to live in a totally different world than the natives of the countries in which they settle.

<comment><USER5> > As for military conscription, that only applies to citizens, so if your > children take US citizenship instead of Singaporean citizenship (US > practices Jus Sanguinis, so I think this is possible), they wouldn't have to > worry about military service (I'm not Singaporean or an immigration lawyer, > so don't take my word on that).

If you (like afaik, Sivers) surrender the US citizenship, is there any basis for children taking US citizenship?

> In short, expats can totally avoid having that reality hit them. Expats tend > to live in a totally different world than the natives of the countries in > which they settle.

I think that's what bothers me, but I am also somewhat at a loss why: it is just for a country to allow an expatriate class that never takes citizenship, but which others contributes (indeed, that is a positive). It is legitimate for individuals to choose to forego the benefits of citizenship in order to avoid the associated responsibilities, yet I can't help by somehow sneer at a group of people who are in a country quasi-permanently (i.e., not a short-term business trip) by choice (they aren't fleeing famine or oppression -- which would be a different matter) by choose not to become its citizen.

I also don't think Singapore is a bad place. Quite frankly their immigration policies are far better than a large chunk of the world. They certainly put a far larger expectation on their citizens, but nothing really out of bounds of a Rawlsian "decent country" \-- basic civil rights are respected. On the other hand US is guilty of a crime of omission -- there are many potential immigrants coming from unstable, dangerous, and poor places that are denied the right to settle in US, but would be able to settle in Singapore.

I guess if I had to pin it down, what bugs me is the way many Westernerns move and settle in countries without regards to their culture and ways of living -- out of purely material and practical concerns.

<comment><USER7> > I guess if I had to pin it down, what bugs me is the way many Westernerns > move and settle in countries without regards to their culture and ways of > living -- out of purely material and practical concerns.

And what do you think of clans of Indians who move to the U.S. for purely material and practical concerns, live cocooned in communities (especially in the South Bay) ?

<comment><USER5> 1) I don't think they live "cocooned". I've lived in South Bay myself for 18 years and honestly haven't seen this. Quite frankly your statement struck me as odd (I earlier wrote racist, but on a second read, I don't think this qualifies) and reactionary ("clans"?). Maintaining ethnic stores, restauraunts, and community events is very different from being "cocooned". They obey US laws (assuming all burdens and responsibilities of citizenship), they don't live in compounds unreachable to outsiders, etc...

2) The delta in material situation between India and US is far higher than the delta between US and and Singapore. Westerners moving to Singapore aren't escaping grinding poverty.

3) There's a large Indian community in Singapore (indeed the very name of the country is in an Indian language) and if you're going to compare Indians moving to the US to another group moving to Singapore (well, perhaps not moving -- they've been there for a long time), this is probably the right comparison to make. I don't see a problem with multi-ethnic states, as long as everyone lives by the same basic laws. I'd still think I would find it acceptable even if the cultures were completely isolated from rest of the country, e.g., Amish in the US, as long as -- again -- they lived by the same laws.

4) I did state elsewhere that I think in terms of immigration policies, Singapore may be "superior" to the US. I strongly believe in immigration as primary human right: everyone should have the right to move wherever they please (with only exception being due to basic economic condition -- a mostly theoretical concern, as usually countries with greatest population densities and largest immigrant population tend to be _more_ prosperous), whether this is the right choice for others is a personal matter (something I can speak out against, but have no right to deny).

<comment><USER7> 1) > I've lived in South Bay myself for 18 years and honestly haven't seen this.

Right, this might just be a matter of personal opinion. I spent a few months in Mountain View, I found it oppressively close to being similar to living in India. It was personally a negative thing because I felt like I (being ethnically of Indian origin but not really culturally one) was expected to behave similar to norms in India. Hell, I had a co-worker accuse (tease?) me of being gay because I was wearing fucking Happy Socks [1]. Now, I must emphasize that I am not saying that everyone who is culturally Indian is conservative or homophobic or whatever. However, the norms in that society of what is acceptable behavior are distinctly different from the norms in this society. A huge cluster of people living together just makes it easier for them to bring their societal norms.

[1] [http://www.happysocks.com/us/](http://www.happysocks.com/us/)

> but on a second read, I don't think this qualifies) and reactionary > ("clans"?).

The word "clan" was used in the sense of people of a certain kinship living together. This may not be immediately apparent to an outsider but I have lived in India and people from different states are drastically different. This self congregation is apparent in neighborhoods there. At least to me.

2)

> The delta in material situation between India and US is far higher than the > delta between US and and Singapore. Westerners moving to Singapore aren't > escaping grinding poverty.

Sorry. Most of the new Indians that you see are not escaping grinding poverty. If you have enough money to pay for a Master's degree and then work on an H1B, you are clearly not part of the teeming masses of the poor people, you are ultimately an expat.

3)

> There's a large Indian community in Singapore (indeed the very name of the > country is in an Indian language) and if you're going to compare Indians > moving to the US to another group moving to Singapore (well, perhaps not > moving -- they've been there for a long time), this is probably the right > comparison to make. I don't see a problem with multi-ethnic states, as long > as everyone lives by the same basic laws.

Actually, I think Singapore is a drastically different case when it comes to Indian immigration. For one, immigration laws are diverse enough that you get both classes of Indians, the white collar professionals and the people escaping soul crushing poverty.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER8> I enjoyed the post, but I find it to be such a vast departure from the way I think and feel, mostly because I have a family.

Sure, _I_ would love to sit on a balcony in New Zealand, coding and listening to the birds, but I couldn't possibly rip my daughter away from her friends and the school she loves.

Again, I appreciate the spirit of the post, but reality for most of us precludes this level of whimsy, and I don't necessarily think that's bad.

<comment><USER9> "Why am I here?"

"Because my daughter loves it here."

Seems to fit in with what he was saying to me.

<comment><USER10> Don't agree.

Something like "because my kids can receive great education here" would be a great answer, but just "lovin' it" means nothing. And having good friends is not a good reason either, because real friends are those that stay close to you when you are far away.

Moreover, I'd say adult people's life should not be constructed around their kids. It should be the opposite: kids follow their parents where they go until they can fly alone. I think it has been the case for most of humanity most of the time (the only exceptions could have been "baby kings" like Louis XIII, but they do not count).

In the same vein, if you father or mother love hiking, find a way to hike with kids. If you love snorkeling just teach them to snorkel early. If you prefer reading books at home just stay at home. They will follow. Having happy parents is the best gift for kids.

In our new society, having kids often means becoming their slave, and you are frowned upon if you dare keeping your hobbies once you have them. This is one of the most worrying mistakes I can imagine. I mean educational mistake. Kids do not need, or even like to be baby dictators.

<comment><USER8> Eh, I think too many parents are selfish, especially in America (not saying Sivers is--clearly he's not).

How often do you see parents dragging their screaming kids around, giving their 2-year old an iPad to shut them up at the coffee shop, buying a 50" flat screen TV while the college fund is at $0 and the bank accounts are overdrawn.

In the spirit of Sivers' post, I think if parents stopped, maybe once a month, and asked themselves "What am I doing to set my children up to have happy lives?" we'd all be better off.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER11> Derek, I did the same thing 6 years ago.

I ended up north of you by just a tad bit, in Takaka. It was a long and winding 90 minute drive to get to Nelson, but it definitely felt like the "big city" compared to Golden Bay.

When people ask me how my 3 years in New Zealand were, it's hard for me to answer. A part of me was working hard, so I spent most of my hours behind my desk, at home, looking at the paddocks across the street. You could have probably put a backdrop behind that window and it would have felt like a beach in Fiji, or downtown Munich, etc. When I wasn't behind my desk however, it was a big realization that I was far away from home. After traveling to Europe for conferences a lot, you begin to realize that you are IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE (or somewhere). It is very far from everything else. A 90 minute drive to Nelson, a flight to Auckland, a 14 hour flight to LAX, then a 12 hour flight to Heathrow. Yikes. When I'd get back to my little house in Takaka however... it felt like home. Small towns, beautiful scenery, great people. My only downfall was that I actually ended up yearning for a market like Whole Foods. I was used to having a HUGE selection of everything to fill my taste buds, and that's hard to come by unless you are in some of the larger cities there. Get ready for a lot of fish and chips, and beetroot on hamburgers. I bet you $100 you're going to miss your asian cuisine... badly.

That said, here is a list of things that come to mind:

\- Go to the Mussel Inn near Onekaka in the evening. Enjoy their beer, food, and chat with the owner Andrew who has great stories (he's the tall guy that looks like Bob Dylan).

\- Meet up with Galen King in Nelson. He's a good friend, a smart technologist, and a great person.

\- Go to Collingwood and hit up the chocolatier there, Rosie Glows.

\- Walk around Te Waikoropupū springs and be amazed.

I wouldn't trade the experience for anything (my second kid was even born there!). Enjoy New Zealand, and make sure to check out Australia while you're down there too. You're close as you're ever going to be =)

Noho ora mai rā, nā!

<comment><USER12> As a kiwi I am offended about your cuisine comment.... I am also nodding in absolute agreement.

In NZ you need to play to the strengths. You'll get some of the best seafood and wine in the world. Freshly caught fish, simply cooked, with a bottle of South Island white wine. Glorious.

Also, the nature helps. A cup of tea and some smoked mussels. Usually mundane -- but, after you've just hiked up a mountain and you're sitting on a ridge. Delicious.

</comment></comment><comment><USER13> What if you don't know the answer to this question ("Why am I here?")? What if your answer is that you don't understand why you're still here? When your passion for everything and anything in life has waned to nothingness. When you feel like your body is in a constant state of physical and mental fatigue, bordering on a grinding, gnawing pain? When you feel like a passenger in your own life, stuck in the rat race, stuck in the routine of monotony? When every day boils down to sleep, eat, work, and everything in between ends up as a fuzzy blur?

What then? How can I shake this feeling? How can I restore the drive and motivation in myself that I never remember having in the first place? Is it even possible?

To follow Mr. Sivers's analogy: What if _all_ my reasons have expired? Is that somewhere else... nowhere else? Should I be dead instead? That doesn't seem like a very practical path to follow, but yet living feels so draining that I don't know how much longer I can carry the weight of a life lived for nothing. It really is all for naught. At this point I feel like I am living this life because it is the life society wants for me: go to school, get a degree, get a job, get married, have kids, grow old, die. That sounds horrible to me and yet I feel so stuck in this formula. I feel so abnormal because I can't feel satisfied or fulfilled with this "normal" version of life. And I can't tell anyone these things because they will reject me, saying I should just enjoy this or that, or telling me that I should be grateful for what I have. Their words (and this article) don't change anything. I know that the change must first come from within, but I don't know where to start.

<comment><USER14> How old are you? Too young to be having a mid-life crisis but too old to be experiencing teenage angst, is my guess. There is hope and something I say may help you but really the only one that can save you is your _self_. My reply depends on your context. Details needed.

<comment><USER13> To give you some background: I am 22 years old. I graduated from college about a year ago and I now make a living as a software engineer.

I agree that the only one who can save me is myself, and to all those who have said that I should seek professional help: I have and am currently working with someone to address these feelings I have towards my life.

I'm not sure what other details you were looking for, but that should be a start, at least.

<comment><USER14> You are really just starting your life. You will be a completely different man at 32 than 22. Accept that you are unhappy right now but this is a temporary situation that you are willing to resolve. You have a job and presumably a place to live, so right now everything is okay.

To help with feeling overwhelmed, confused and anxious about your life I recommend a book called "Focussing" by Eugene Gendlin. Its hard to explain but he has exercises that allow you to cope with life's problems by mentally building a little breathing space between your problems and your self. His method also allows you to get beyond the conscious self-talk and other mental static and tap the subconscious to understand why you are "stuck". (It all sounds like a bunch of non-sense and even Gendlin oversells it but the book is cheap, the exercises are easy to do and helpful and you don't have to buy into all the woo).

Based on your orginal post, it sounds like you launched on this life trajectory without thinking too much about it and that you are just now questioning it. This is a very common problem due to social expectations or parental pressures, etc. So here you are. Many people go down this path but don't question it until they hit middle age. So be glad you have avoided the disaster of a mid-life crisis. Moreover, figuring out who you are and what you value and what you want to do with your life at 22 is not only easier but you have way more options than the man who embarks on such a task at 50, with the ex-wife and three kids to consider.

So that is the essence of the problem. You are an adult now and need to decide what you believe, what you value and what you will do. In a more rational culture you would have been given much more guidance before being pushed out of the nest but the problem is still yours to solve. I recommend two books to read by Ayn Rand; Philosophy Who Needs It and The Virtue of Selfishness. My recommendation is not so much about her philosophy but about learning to think philosophically about your life.

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER15> Derek, we met a while ago when you came down to Dunedin. I'm glad you finally made the move down here.

What I found very interesting is that your decisions are driven not by where to move TO, but what you're moving away FROM. Your trip to Oregon, then to Singapore and now NZ seems to follow the similar route. From a vastly different culture and super-densely-populated .sg to the extreme remote and lonesome place like .nz.

I feel that's probably not the best way to go for it. Instead of trial-and- error, how about a search algorithm? Instead of "Why am I here", why not ask "Where do I WANT to be?".

Here was the list of criteria me and my wife came up when we were drifting around for a year to look for a city to settle down.

 _Crucial_ : 1) Small country with around 5M population. Coming from China, I feel lots of the problems of modern society & politics is there because of the large degree of separation. 2) Walkabout city. We love walking. I want to make sure the walk from home to office takes no more than 30 minutes. 3) Close to nature. Tramping is our main hobby. We want to start walking in the wild with less than 1 hour drive. (Reality is the closest one is 5 minutes walk from home but that's a bonus.) 4) With a high quality university. This gives us the continuous flow of different ideas even the city is small. 5) Price is moderate. We want to have the leisure time to spend with our families and work on our hobbies. Affordable housing and reasonable prices give us the lifestyle we want without having to work our butts off.

 _Ok to give up_ : 1) Museums, galleries and fine restaurants. Even when we were living in Seattle or Boston, we spend more time on solitude activities like walking and reading. So cultural stuffs are great but we won't die if we don't have them. 2) Varieties of products/shops. We don't buy a lot of stuff and when we do, we buy ones that last very very long but not particularly in- the-fashion. So don't have much choices is not a big problem for us. 3) Weather. I love San Diego's weather. Never too cold. Never too hot. But if it's a city that rains a lot and doesn't have a proper hot summary, we're fine with that.

We visited and stayed in more than 40 cities during that year. Some we stayed 2 months, others a few days. When we started the trip, we have never heard of Dunedin. But those criteria helped us to quickly sift through the options and lead us to this unusual decision.

Three years later, we still feel grateful that we made that choice. Life is good here.

A warm welcome from Dunedin, New Zealand.

</comment><comment><USER16> Very timely article. I am being laid off tomorrow (fri). I sent out this article to my team as sharing my last piece of nugget before I head out the door!

I think the question not only applies to a country or city but also the place you work, place you live, or any activity you do.

</comment><comment><USER17> Are you there with friends at all? I'm just curious because for me I always want to be near friends and family, but know that for some people they would rather do something new and exciting.

<comment><USER18> Married with a baby. But other than that, I don't know anyone here. That was part of the appeal. I prefer solitude right now.

<comment><USER19> Wow, and your wife was cool with that :)?

Couldn't even imagine being able to move around with my family like that. I've lived in the same area basically my whole life and it's quite boring. A change would be nice. Always wanted to try out Montana.

<comment><USER18> I was a requirement of being with me. A 2nd-date question:

"How would you feel about living in the rest of the world for the rest of your life?"

Many girls I dated really just wanted to stay near family or friends. Then I found someone willing to keep going. :-)

</comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER20> So glad to hear you're feeling at peace in NZ, Derek. I know many people who are quietly excited you've chosen this far flung island to call home and know that you are a fantastic addition to the community no matter what you chose to do. I know you've been inwardly focused lately, but whenever you're ready, there's a great community waiting to welcome you with open arms at Enspiral (including Loomio of course).

</comment><comment><USER21> Apologies for our second-rate internet connections. Hopefully we'll see > 5 Mbps download speeds to residential buildings within my lifetime.

<comment><USER18> I got 30 Mbps (actual, on speedtest.net right now) fibre to the home from Orcon. Thanks to subsidized fibre rollout. :-)

<comment><USER21> It should go without saying that I'm incredibly jealous fibre isn't available in my part of the country.

<comment><USER18> Yeah. I was really surprised. I was preparing for a less-online-life, then just as I we moved in, we got a notice that fibre was ready. Oh well.

I'll give you my wifi password so you can sit on the porch & surf all you want.

<comment><USER22> I'm very surprised at that. I've heard the internet is basically horrible in New Zealand and they have horrible bandwidth limits there. Is this a very recent development?

<comment><USER23> It's better. We have things like fibre and VDSL2 with unlimited caps now. Like properly unlimited ones (not just "unlimited"). You can get a gigabit internet connection -- or even dark fibre between private premises -- in many cases.

For example, one residential ISP just released a statement apparently clarifying their policy regarding "unlimited" plans [1]:

 _"Customers are free to go crazy and use as much data as they want. We have some customers using nine terabytes per month on our residential unlimited plans which shows just how unlimited they really are. "_

9TB at home?!

Personally I use a different ISP at my house: I have ADSL2+ and get a quota of 260 GB per month for about $50. This is a "naked" service so I receive it via a copper line whose regular landline dial-tone service has been disconnected.

[1] [https://www.orcon.net.nz/about/article/orcons_unlimited_broa...](https://www.orcon.net.nz/about/article/orcons_unlimited_broadband_is_unlimited_truly)

<comment><USER24> Orcon are great - although my only experience is connecting to their game servers from here in Australia. Looks like I can put NZ back on my "places to flee to" list.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER25> I like the overall message, but I can't help but think about that thing about the work visas.

</comment><comment><USER26> I am always fond of Derek Sivers' insights, but I would personally have a hard time getting much done on the South Island. So much natural beauty to explore. I'd be on a perpetual kayaking/tramping/skiing trip!

<comment><USER27> When you go on vacation, you tend to pack everything you can into your short window of opportunity. If you don't need to rush, it doesn't seem too terribly difficult to find a TON of time to be productive. Some of my most productive weeks have involved 3-hour surf breaks in Mexico, rest stops during campervan road trips around NZ, cross-country (U.S.) train trips, and realizing there's not much to do but work all day if you're stranded on a tropical island and don't find tourist traps very appealing. If you're sufficiently engaged in your work, the periodic escapes provide an excellent opportunity to ponder and gather your thoughts. Just pace yourself. Work when you feel motivated and go out and do awesome stuff when you're not.

YMMV and I may be a workaholic.

</comment></comment><comment><USER28> I look at it from the other side - why move? If you've loved everywhere you've lived and you expect to love anywhere else, isn't the converse that you'll love here just as much as wherever you might move to? Where does this need to travel somewhere every couple of years come from? I've tried it, and realised I'm better off where I am.

</comment><comment><USER29> I love the idea of getting out of your normal habitat to focus. I went down to central america a month ago to spend a few days, got so much more work done in 3 days than I do in 2 weeks at home. I didn't have constant distractions or people pulling for my attention all the time. Am planning to do something like this quarterly in 2014.

<comment><USER30> Something to keep in mind is that you can likely do this at any time. Hopping a bus to another place you've never been and working from there for a couple days can likely have similar results.

<comment><USER29> Yeah, but I like the idea of being out of immediate reach if possible. Not a bad idea, I've thought of renting a cabin or house somewhere a few hours away.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER31> What's really cool about this idea is that it passes boundary tests - <USER2> questions like "What if all of humanity acted like this?"

If the whole planet was a little more conscious - and able - to sort themselves into a fitting situation, the 'system' as a whole would churn out awesome results.

</comment><comment><USER32> I suspect this won't be popular, but: Lucky you, Derek. You have the resources, and more important, the experience to be able to do that sort of thing.

Why am I in the US? Because I was born here.

(But people are friendlier in other countries, and life is less stressful.)

But I don't have the resources to just fly away.

(...Oh. Right.)

</comment><comment><USER33> Having just moved from LA to the Big Island of Hawaii, these questions resonate with me, too. We moved because of my wife, but I can't say that I was opposed. Away from the crowded, paved LA basin to a small town, affordable housing, friendly people.

The internet, though...

</comment><comment><USER34> Sound thinking, re-asking a question whose answer changes over life. Without complete attachment to your chief focus there is no reason to keep up a previous life.

</comment><comment><USER35> That was brilliant. Said something important. Got the message across clearly. Did it quickly.

It may have seemed pretty trivial, but I think it was brilliant.

</comment><comment><USER36> Well-known internet entrepreneur and blogger moves to Nelson. Illustrates article with photo from Fiordland. [https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=+nelson+south+island&dadd...](https://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=+nelson+south+island&daddr=mitre+peak+fiordland+south+island&hl=en&ll=-42.90816,170.617676&spn=7.523587,16.193848&sll=-44.680141,168.010239&sspn=0.22825,0.506058&geocode=%3BFQvzVv0dEDABCikvJaHAFODVqTGpmM8oiQqi5A&mra=ls&t=m&z=7)

</comment><comment><USER37> I once emailed Derek. He went out of his way to answer my questions. I can vouch for his character. Legit dude. Much respect.

</comment><comment><USER38> You chose a really nice place to move to. I'm jealous. Be sure to visit Abel Tasman national park.

</comment><comment><USER39> Go to French Pass on the northern tip of the south island. It's a beautiful and remote spot.

</comment><comment><USER40> Am I the only one who thinks Matrix can be a reality and answer to all similar questions

</comment><comment><USER41> Singapore: a democratically elected government with autocratic rule.

</comment><comment><USER42> ....Yeah, I can't do that. I like long-term friendship.

<comment><USER43> Then you've found your reason to be "here."

<comment><USER18> Exactly! Great answer! The point is NOT to always move!

 _Usually_ the "Why am I here?" question just reminds you why you are where you are.

Being somewhere for great friendships is a great reason.

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER44> Who are you? What do you want?

/babylon5

</comment><comment><USER45> A very warm welcome!

</comment><comment><USER46> I don't ask this too hard, because not only do I know ahead of time that I probably won't like the answer too much, I don't have much reason to suppose I'll get it 'right' next time, either. Without any one all-consuming passion in life, the best I can do is change stuff and see what happens. Also, it's unclear what Mr. Sivers' financial independence status is, but I think that for most of us, wherever we go basically has to be for a job.

<comment><USER47> Mr Sivers is very transparent about his financial situation: [http://sivers.org/trust](http://sivers.org/trust)

Summary: CD Baby was transferred to a trust then sold for $22m, the trust pays Mr Sivers 5% per year.

In his own words he has "enough".

<comment><USER18> Part of the reason I haven't been writing much the last couple years is because I thought, "Ah, it's not fair for me to write about this stuff like moving countries on a whim."

But everyone's got their own version of this. My example is just one example.

<comment><USER48> I moved to Cambodia on a whim 4 months ago and I have ~14,000$ in the bank. Given my current monthly expenses (100$ rent, 200$ food, 50$ miscellaneous), I'll have the next three years to work on projects and coding (more than enough time) without worrying about making money.

Like others have said, money is not the limiting factor for most people in regards to moving half-way around the world. Being 12,000 miles away from my parents is very hard though; this move was something I absolutely needed to do, but I know if something were to happen to them I would completely regret my decision to come here.

<comment><USER49> Heya are you in Phnom Penh or in the provinces? Am doing the same (many folks like us increasingly in Phnom Penh, all of us contributing somewhat to ever- rising prices though I'm sure ;) -- should hang for coffee!

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER50> Such a simple question, yet grants you profound introspection.</comment>


Eliminating Delays from systemd-journald, Part 2 - <AUTHOR> https://coreos.com/blog/eliminating-journald-delays-part-2.html <comment><USER2> Posted months after part 1 (discussed at [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11289406](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=11289406)), but a scant few days after [https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563254](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=12563254) . (-:</comment>


NY Hackers: Breadpig & LEGO are hosting our first Hack Club on Jan 14 - <AUTHOR> http://breadpig.com/2011/01/06/announcing-hack-club/

<comment><USER2> If this becomes successful after planning a number of different Hack Clubs, please do something like TEDx where others who wish to accumulate the powers of geekistry ( _cough_ like me) can work off your experience via online resources. That way we can successfully organize our own Hack Clubs (getting geeks together, especially undergrads, is a difficult challenge as I am learning right now).

The secret location thing is also a fun idea. We have two events around here that do something like that. There's this hippy fest that emails its newest desert location for subscribers to go to and get high at the next day. We also have an underground alternative rock organizer that picks random locations across the county. Yesterday, they hosted a few bands at a Post Office.

Oops, sorry for the tangent. Anyways, I can imagine a wave of Hack Clubs, popping up across the world and each Hack Club will be like chess boxing, where, instead of chess, you have tinkering and instead of boxing, you have slapping and alcohol intoxication.

<comment><USER3> We would love that! After doing a few, we'll definitely look into putting together a tutorial for how to organize a Hack Club yourself. The more, the merrier!

<comment><AUTHOR> Yes, this is a model we _want_ copied all over in cities where geek culture languishes. Having lived in SF & Cambridge, I'm not worried about either of those cities, but I know there are plenty others like New York that could use self-organized Hack Clubs to bring hackers together to simply make cool stuff.

<comment><USER2> I wouldn't say New York is lacking a geek scene. They have a major hackerspace of all things: <http://www.nycresistor.com/>

<comment><AUTHOR> You're right, it's not lacking a geek scene, I'd just like to see more light- hearted-let's-just-build-something events where no one has to be worried about a business-guy telling them about his/her "next big thing."

In that vein, although I'm still YC's Ambassador to the East, there will be no Y Combinator pitching.

</comment></comment></comment></comment></comment><comment><USER4> It's a good thing you've got massive nerd cred; the cynical part of me keeps imagining a suit from LEGO dressed down and hanging under the guise of a "referee," then getting the contact info from the top placing competitors in order to give them the final part of their prize...

Although, if a job offer from LEGO engineering is the most nefarious thing going on, I wouldn't exactly call that a dastasrdly plan.

<comment><USER3> Alexis and I met with the "suits from LEGO" who are flying in. This is one of their laptops: <http://www.flickr.com/photos/crimsonninjagirl/5252144238/>

Also, they shared hilarious stories with us about making LEGO napalm and gave us some cool LEGOs for answering a trivia question about Blade Runner. They are absolutely people I'd hang out with and I'm glad they're peaceful Northern Europeans or else I'd be concerned they were going to take over the world with LEGOs.

tl;dr Suits from LEGO are awesome.

<comment><AUTHOR> Careful, there are LEGO Gatling guns... <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bp48bL5jgjQ>

</comment></comment></comment><comment><USER5> Great to hear, I'm in the middle of organizing something similar in Brooklyn (still trying to nail down the space).

Totally agree, too many business/marketing/networking centric events in NYC and not enough hacking.

<comment><USER6> Come out to hack and tell: <http://www.meetup.com/hack-and-tell>. We'll have the next one at the end of January.

</comment></comment><comment><USER7> Will this be a kid-friendly event or is it only for those of us in our second childhood?

<comment><AUTHOR> Kids rock! Just keep in mind it'll run from 9pm to 9am :)

</comment></comment><comment><USER8> So excited for this – I just had to ditch 3 boxes of mindstorms during my move to NYC.

</comment><comment><USER9> This sounds fun! I look forward to figuring out where it is :-)</comment>