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plusbryan
2007-03-30T05:13:22
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That is pretty gosh darn impressive. Good work guys!
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pg
2007-03-30T05:15:00
SellABand Music Model Gaining Traction
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http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/03/29/sellaband-music-model-may-be-working/
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staunch
2007-03-30T05:20:46
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Tell me she didn't see a dime of his riches?
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BrandonM
2007-03-30T05:26:07
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I just realized that I did leave a few things out that would be missed by not attending college. The first is that there are some interesting professors who are genuinely interested in teaching and give wonderful lectures. Secondly, some classes are structured to allow intelligent class interaction, and it can be enlightening to participate in a good discussion to see the diverse viewpoints that fellow classmates can offer. Last, but certainly not least, pg has pointed out in several writings that college is a great place to meet a co-founder. So there are a few other things that will be missed in addition to "that shiny piece of paper."
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staunch
2007-03-30T05:30:36
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Get a sizable investment from friends/family/VCs or very painfully build your startup on the side nights/weekends.<p>There doesn't seem to be any other options. I don't think the consulting option is any better than working full-time for someone else.<p><p>
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pg
2007-03-30T05:35:44
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Just send an email to founders at their domain name.
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ecuzzillo
2007-03-30T05:39:29
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They need a bigger next-page button. I kept missing it, because I let go of the mouse on each slide.
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BrandonM
2007-03-30T05:42:18
null
On the sites that use AJAX correctly and effectively, I must admit that the UI is a marked improvement over past technologies. In many cases, though, it can be overkill: a waste of bandwidth and programmer time (i.e. it would be unnecessary for the Google home page to use AJAX to display search results). As an occasional Lynx user, I really appreciate when a site keeps alternate browsers in mind.<p>That said, I agree with jw that catering to users of ancient, insecure browsers is probably a waste of time and a barrier to progress. I disagree with a strict cost-benefit approach, however. As an analogy, Microsoft has been benefiting from this phenomenon for years due to hardware companies who only write Windows drivers, while NVidia is a good example of a hardware company which provides open source drivers and receives loyalty and sales opportunities because of it. Additionally, supporting cell phone users and the visually impaired is certainly a good idea, even if only a small percentage of visitors fall into these categories.<p>Of course, as numerous others mentioned, it's important to be aware of your target audience, but don't be surprised if your actual audience does not necessarily match the one you have in mind.
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far33d
2007-03-30T05:46:47
null
I've been thinking a lot about micro-finance/micro-credit for funding creative content. There are a lot of different possible ways to do it, and this is a nice one... Anything that replaces the labels, the studios, the publishers, etc has the potential for major disruption. But this site is still a middleman.
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vlad
2007-03-30T05:55:11
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The above post was a parody. :)
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zkinion
2007-03-30T06:04:16
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I've known most of thos from before, but this presentation puts it in the most simple way possible, and as straight forward as possible. Awesome!
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dfranke
2007-03-30T06:06:12
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This is an interesting in-depth look at what any Reddit or USENET old-timer already knows too well: getting a community to scale up while remaining intelligent and cordial is a really hard problem. If anyone manages to solve it I'll be paying close attention.
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zaidf
2007-03-30T06:08:26
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Good news for us:) This must be one of the most exciting industry to be in at the moment.
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staunch
2007-03-30T06:16:35
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In California at least there are really good laws about this. No matter what your contract says, it's important to remember that you cannot sign away your rights.<p>The key is to not utilize _any_ employer resources. That means no using the company-provided laptop, servers, office space, bandwidth, and especially time (even lunch).<p>The other way to protect yourself is by keeping a work journal. Blogs are nice, but it's best if it's handwritten and dated. This is what will save you if it ever ends up in court.<p>Obviously I'm about as far from a lawyer as it gets, but this is what I know.
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lupin_sansei
2007-03-30T06:43:43
null
I find some of the Cato (Libertarian) arguments against Net Neutrality quite persuasive:<p>"There is no evidence that broadband operators are unfairly blocking access to websites or online services today, and there is no reason to expect them to do so in the future. No firm or industry has any sort of "bottleneck control" over or market power in the broadband marketplace; it is very much a competitive free-for-all, and no one has any idea what the future market will look like with so many new technologies and operators entering the picture."<p><a href="http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-507es.html">http://www.cato.org/pubs/pas/pa-507es.html</a><p>Any Broadband provider who blocks Google will immediately lose all their customers. And will create a market in "100% Free Content" ISPs. I also think it's a good thing to be able to choose a hypothetical service where guaranteed high quality VOIP packets are charged differently from P2P traffic.<p>There's also the old assumption that business will tend to be evil and government will tend to be good.
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ecuzzillo
2007-03-30T06:56:00
null
About time the music industry started to fix itself.
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somethingorange
2007-03-30T06:57:02
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If Paul Graham's conviction comes with seed funding, I'll do that.
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BrandonM
2007-03-30T07:03:13
Improving Server Performance through Better Scheduling
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http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~bianca/project_pages/project_sync.html
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BrandonM
2007-03-30T07:05:19
null
Bianca was a faculty candidate here at Ohio State and gave an interesting talk about a month ago about improving system reliability. The part I found most interesting was how a small patch to the Linux kernel to change scheduling gave a remarkable improvement to performance.
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michelson
2007-03-30T07:06:58
null
you beat me to it. i uploaded it as well: <a href="http://www.scribd.com/doc/21640/zend-talk">http://www.scribd.com/doc/21640/zend-talk</a>
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bootload
2007-03-30T07:12:59
null
<i>'... "Does a price that ends in -000, like $490,000 seem casual? Is $499,999 too blue-light special?" I stared into my salad. Little did I know that Redfin's mad scientist, Mose Andre, was working on that very problem, crunching statistics on the data-set we pulled to calculate the Redfin Advantage. ...'</i> [0]<p>great article. what made it better was reading the blog [1] ~ hilarious. The first thing I read is company blog(s). You can tell a lot from the blog (SWOT) [2]. The company hierarchy, culture, toolset used, market. If a blog is boring, doesn't contain at least some sort of technical (even if it's just a hint), I mark that down as a 'old skool' software company who's roots are shipping executables or companies without leaders who understand 'transparency'.<p>Reference<p>[0] Redfin blog, 'Pricing Advice: Make the Last 3 Digits -500'<p><a href="http://blog.redfin.com/redfin/2007/03/pricing_advice_make_the_last_3.html">http://blog.redfin.com/redfin/2007/03/pricing_advice_make_the_last_3.html</a><p>[1] Redfin, 'Redfin blog mentioned in article'<p><a href="http://blog.redfin.com">http://blog.redfin.com</a><p>[2] SWOT is an analysis tool and stands for Strength, Weakness, Opportunity & Threat<p>
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xyzzy
2007-03-30T07:16:20
null
I wonder to what extent this is a statistical artifact rather than a genuine improvement. For example, if you measure performance as the mean time to serve each kilobyte, then the proposed scheduler does not increase performance.
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BrandonM
2007-03-30T07:23:31
null
Nice find. This is a nice, quirky, funny presentation for improving server performance.<p>A faculty candidate recently gave a talk at Ohio State about improving server reliability, and I have linked to her paper in the following submission:<p><a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/comments?id=7517">http://news.ycombinator.com/comments?id=7517</a>
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BrandonM
2007-03-30T07:26:55
null
That's true, but what was actually measured was the mean time to serve the entire request. I think in nearly any usage pattern, this would be the data point that you would be most concerned with. You want users browsing your pages to get their pages and small images very quickly, and if they have to wait a couple seconds for the larger images to finish, or for minutes for large file downloads, that seems to be the kind of behavior a user would expect.<p>What this scheduling algorithm avoids is the case where several people are downloading large files and other more casual users are having a worse browsing experience because of that.
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staunch
2007-03-30T07:30:24
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BrandonM
2007-03-30T07:55:35
null
I am very happy to see all of these music startups. My startup idea is one which should help to change the current structure of the music industry for the better, but I'm glad to see that such changes are already happening. Their funding model in particular is quite clever, one that seems eerily similar to one I read in some paper or article a few months ago, where the writer was suggesting precisely the idea of an art funding model in which fans put money towards bands they like to encourage them to continue producing music. It's too bad that I can't find it.
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BrandonM
2007-03-30T07:58:29
null
The title of the article is interesting, because it's a phenomenon I hadn't even considered, but:<p>"""STORY HIGHLIGHTS<p>Students abstaining from sites like Facebook for Lent<p>Graduate student Kerry Graham is finding the sacrifice difficult<p>Emory University student Jocelyn Chiu giving up the Internet Clinical psychologist: Limiting time spent can be beneficial"""<p> Hmm... I think I'll pass. Sounds like all the useful info is in the title.
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BitGeek
2007-03-30T08:00:09
null
Zuckerberg is not very smart here, and his comment illuminates the area where younger people are stupider (in general): Blindness. Lack of awareness of the world around you means that you will not understand what your customers are asking for, etc. You can get away with this when all your customers are within 2 years of your age. But it will come up to bite you... better to be wary and listening rather than arrogant.<p>There is no area of achievement-- physical, mental, or character where one age group dominates over another. There are exceptional people at all ages. <p>The perception that there are more exceptional young people is actually ironic-- its more surprising when a young person has high achievement and so it gets more media coverage. Exceptional achievements from older people are less noteworthy-- even though they are not less exceptional.<p>Confusion on this point is exactly the kind of naivete' that keeps young people back.<p>DO NOT BE ARROGANT-- it doesn't pay. It is a form of escapism.<p>
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BitGeek
2007-03-30T08:02:33
null
What I find perplexing is that for so many people who think the Bay area "is better" I've yet to hear any concrete reasons its better.<p>Ok, more venture capitalists in the bay area-- sure, this is a blessing and a curse. <p>I've listed the downside... I wish someone would give a concrete advantage. (Cause I might be wrong.)<p>
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BitGeek
2007-03-30T08:04:30
null
Actually, its very easy to argue. <p>You really haven't given a reason at all... only ad hominem. "Best people naturally want to be where teh best startups are". <p>I think the best startups are in Seattle, and I've compared both regions. I'm not saying people should move to seattle, though, because "Best" is a fuzzy quantity.
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techcore
2007-03-30T08:36:42
Are you creating a product or launching a business?
null
http://franticindustries.com/blog/2007/03/29/are-you-creating-a-product-or-launching-a-business/
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Tichy
2007-03-30T08:50:00
The Bootstrappers Bible (PDF)
null
http://www.dgoel.com/BootstrappersBible.pdf
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ced
2007-03-30T09:03:02
null
I think that it's unrealistic to build a startup around an unsolved fundamentally hard problem. Can anyone think of a counter-example that succeeded? Typically, the problem is solved first, and then the startup is built to implement the solution.<p>Solving hard problems depends too much on creativity and research. I'm not sure I could do that under the pressure associated with a startup. The Google environment doesn't seem ideal either, come to think of it, but at least, I'm not the one absorbing the huge risk of failure.<p>Anybots is a startup that solved a hard problem, but it was self-funded, right? Would YC have funded them if it had been proposed by a 25-year-old Trevor Blackwell?
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razvanr
2007-03-30T09:06:55
null
Nice. It seems a bit complex though for the casual user. But I can see it catch on.
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razvanr
2007-03-30T09:10:17
null
I wonder how Digg is the tenth among those. I wonder how it made the list actually.
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razvanr
2007-03-30T09:24:13
null
I totally agree with not taking decisions lightly, but with a clear head. I've put all my studies on hold this year(currently 19) because it makes so much more sense to experiment as best I can at this stage. I've since been employed as a copywriter(great job), then as a programmer(hated it because things were moving too slow in that company) and I ultimately started a low-profile firm and pitched alternative outdoor marketing projects to big distribution firms here in Bucharest. What I'm trying to say is that in 9 months I've learned more than in my entire formal studies up until now. And it's not only about the knowledge but also about life experience and how to deal with things. It always demands great respect to take your own life into your hands and take decisions. It's also great to know that you can manage things on your own and be financially independent at this age. <p>I don't take formal studies lightly in any way, but I consider that it's great added value if I continue them in a few years.
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aglarond
2007-03-30T09:37:12
null
"3) Do you have young kids? Spend your time with kids, not in a startup. You'll be glad you did later on. No matter how much money you make, you won't be able to buy back time!"<p>This is one of my main reasons for starting a startup - I want to be able to spend more time with my kids. At my current job, I get maybe an hour and a half to spend with them each night after coming home from work, before they have to go to bed.<p>Starting my own company and getting it to the point where it's profitable will allow me to spend the time I need with my kids. I'll be able to work from home, doing hours that are necessary to keep the company going. My kids and wife will see more of me, and we'll all be happier. :)
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aglarond
2007-03-30T09:41:08
null
Apply anyways. If you get accepted, relocate for the three months. That time away will be well spent getting your product to a presentable point.<p>Heh - I'm taking that advice myself, and I live in Switzerland!
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Tichy
2007-03-30T09:44:32
null
I couldn't find any info on the license for Apollo yet, but I guess it is not Open Source. Neither is Slingshot. It's certainly a very interesting development (especially considering mobile applications), but I would either wait for an open source framework or create my own.
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paul
2007-03-30T10:33:31
null
Wow, the past was an awful place... :)<p>The video is fun to watch too: <a href="http://www.archive.org/details/Business1987_3">http://www.archive.org/details/Business1987_3</a>
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Tichy
2007-03-30T11:38:46
null
So what is Xobni about? "Making email smarter", as they write on their homepage, is not a very profound description.
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jkush
2007-03-30T12:03:28
null
I think getting a sizable investment is the way to go (unfortunately). I've tried the nights/weekends thing and it just doesn't work because startups seem to really require a long, dedicated burst of attention and energy, something you can't do on the side.<p>Thanks for your reply - I appreciate it.
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joshwa
2007-03-30T12:27:58
Amazon's War on Statsaholic - Be Careful If Your Business Model Relies Entirely on an API from One Company
null
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/03/30/amazons-war-on-statsaholic/
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joshwa
2007-03-30T12:31:54
Aaronsw: We'd set out to make something people want -- but what if they didn't want to want it?
null
http://www.aaronsw.com/weblog/everythinggood
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JMiao
2007-03-30T12:37:30
The New, New Manager: What Geeks Can Teach Us About Getting Stuff Done
null
http://blog.fastcompany.com/experts/jdesjardins/2007/03/the_new_new_manager.html?partner=rss
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veritas
2007-03-30T12:55:27
Seth's Blog: The Joy/cash curve
null
http://sethgodin.typepad.com/seths_blog/2007/03/the_joycash_cur.html
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veritas
2007-03-30T13:24:32
Paul Kedrosky: Khosla's Clean Tech Companies
null
http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2007/03/29/khoslas_clean_t.html
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ClintonKarr
2007-03-30T13:31:44
10 Awesome Startups You've Never Heard About
null
http://nichegeek.com/10_awesome_startups_you_ve_never_heard_about
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comment
ClintonKarr
2007-03-30T13:33:07
null
Heybuddyvending has some serious potential in a market like Boston or NYC which are full of colleges and in need of internships.
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elad
2007-03-30T13:35:04
null
I absolutely agree. I used to work for a big enterprise software company, and it took me a while to get used to the fact that we're selling crappy software for millions of $ a piece. I think the problem is that large enterprises trust other large organizations to solve their problems. You can't really get ahead in a large enterprise and become a manager with a budget to spend on software solutions unless you have that kind of organizational mindset. You fear change and fear failure, and so you'd rather spend tons of cash on a crappy solution from someone "trustworthy" - so they can't blame you if the software you bought sucks, than on a small startup's product that no one else in your industry is using. BTW, Crossing the Chasm is a good book on the subject. I recommend it to anyone considering going into enterprise software.
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story
mattculbreth
2007-03-30T13:52:45
It's Justin, Live! (SF Chronicle story on Justin.tv)
null
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/c/a/2007/03/30/MNG8OOUQI81.DTL
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transburgh
2007-03-30T13:52:47
How to get your business noticed - Mar. 30, 2007
null
http://money.cnn.com/2007/03/29/magazines/fsb/noticed.fsb/index.htm?section=money_email_alerts
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comment
brlewis
2007-03-30T13:52:51
null
Please post more links like this one. I bet a lot of people here are like me. I have more tech knowledge than I need. Give me more marketing clue.
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comment
Tichy
2007-03-30T13:54:18
null
It is easy to come up with ideas, but some ideas are better than others. Maybe I can agree to the level that "ideas in nuthsells" are worthless. For example anyone can have the idea to "create a really elegant computer", yet most people agree that only Steve Jobs can pull it off (just look at the TV computer design challenge by intel - so depressing). But I think in his mind the idea is more than just the nutshell description. And having THAT right idea doesn't seem to be trivial to me.
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aristus
2007-03-30T13:59:30
Scaling Y Combinator: the Grahambot [PNG]
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http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/439422722_78e1cf0f93_o.png
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comment
Alex3917
2007-03-30T14:06:26
null
This thread started as a poll, and ended as a revolution.
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comment
ecuzzillo
2007-03-30T14:07:32
null
Yeah, I can totally see this being smooshed by Google like Kiko was. PG said that Google was only good at stuff that worked for hackers, but I bet it could parlay its Gmail userbase into a Zenter-killing web-based Powerpoint, even though hackers don't generally do that much powerpoint.
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brlewis
2007-03-30T14:13:51
null
They see keeping in touch with friends as a vice? This perspective will reverse after they get older and have kids. Then they'll feel guilty for not keeping in touch.
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comment
divia
2007-03-30T14:16:26
null
If the reddit recommendation engine ever gets really good, I think it could actually be part of the solution, not the problem. As Aaron quotes, "people tend to be extremely similar in their vulgar and prurient and dumb interests and wildly different in their refined and aesthetic and noble interests." If we take the quote to be true, then looking at the most popular news items will always be problematic, but people will still need a way to find what interests them.
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dfranke
2007-03-30T14:19:50
null
Can it eat breakfast?
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mattculbreth
2007-03-30T14:24:55
null
:)<p><a href="http://paulgrahamatebreakfast.infogami.com/">http://paulgrahamatebreakfast.infogami.com/</a><p>(What a strange thing that must have been to see if you were indeed Paul Graham)<p>
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comment
randallsquared
2007-03-30T14:25:08
null
It just takes longer to evaluate the worth of a novel than the worth of a blog post, so if you read only novels, it might be weeks before you find one you really like, but if you're reading blog posts, you're likely to find something you really like later today. For equally good blog posts and novels, the worth of the novel is less than the proportionately longer length would suggest.
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notabel
2007-03-30T14:26:31
null
Bah! The grahambot would obviously have squishy actuators for dynamic balancing! None of this stiff-jointed ZMP crap!<p>[Anybots++]
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7,554
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[ 7565 ]
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comment
sethjohn
2007-03-30T14:31:13
null
In the short run, lowbrow material can be quite successful. In the long run, though, quality wins out. People still read the classics, the Simpsons is still around because it's complex and smart.<p>I think the same is true of companies. There is a lot more value (both morally and monetarily) in building for long-term popularity (via quality) than in brief cheap thrills.<p>And so, specifically, I'm betting that YouTube will soon be replaced by sites that offer higher quality (production values, intellectual material, better organized) content...the popularity "Farting in Public" will soon pass!
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ecuzzillo
2007-03-30T14:37:54
null
HIS NAME IS ROBERT PAULSEN<p>HIS NAME IS ROBERT PAULSEN<p>-- fight club
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comment
aristus
2007-03-30T14:39:22
null
This version of Grahambot is a knockoff of the Honda Human aka Asimo. Trevor Blackwell wanted to see if he could build his own for less than $5,000 times (n+1).
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comment
Alex3917
2007-03-30T14:50:45
null
Social systems are a combination of:<p>1) The intrinsic qualities of the people there.<p>2) The systemic forces that drive their interaction.<p>Let's assume the people who visit Reddit are fixed, at least in the short term. So what can we do to alter the ways they interact so that each one leaves the site a better person than when they came?<p>The current design simply rewards stories that are the most popular. The problem with this is that there are basically four types of valuable stories: Insightful, interesting, informative, and funny (a la Slashdot).<p>In terms of what makes you a better person, the order is generally:<p>1. insightful<p>2. informative<p>3. interesting / funny<p>The problem is that the stories that are interesting and funny tend to get votes very quickly, driving the insightful and informative stories off the screen. (Partly this is because you can tell if something is interesting or funny from the headline, but you need to read the whole article before deciding if something is insightful.)<p>The are currently subreddits based on topics, but once again it's the interesting stories in each subreddit that are pushing out the insightful ones. If we have Anna Nicole Smith on the front page, then we have whatever the science equivalent of ANS is in science and the programming equivalent of ANS in programming. <p>So of course people aren't coming away from Reddit as better people. Because all the stories that would make them better people are being squelched because of the systemic forces of the system. I don't even read Reddit anymore for this reason.<p>It's not as if it can't be fixed though. Reddit has the stories it does because they designed the systemic forces to encourage those types of stories. They could just as easily be redesigned to encourage other types of stories.
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sethjohn
2007-03-30T15:04:17
null
And, IMHO, in the long term (a few years) they will steadily lose viewers to sites with a better algorithm for quality (insightful and informative) if they don't make these changes.
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7,566
7,543
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[ 7880 ]
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story
ClintonKarr
2007-03-30T15:04:20
12 Reasons People Say No to Your Idea
null
http://www.omghub.com/blog/tabid/5809/bid/1337/12-Reasons-People-Say-No.aspx
1
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story
ClintonKarr
2007-03-30T15:10:42
Using Viral Video to Build Your Brand
null
http://www.bulldogreporter.com/dailydog/issues/1_1/dailydog_barks_bites/index.html
1
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domp
2007-03-30T15:12:57
null
This is an interesting idea. Although $50,000 is a high price to get an album recorded with a producer. It seems more like a contest then a new music model.
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7,501
7,501
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story
divia
2007-03-30T15:22:18
Comment thread on reddit about revenue sources for popular websites
null
http://reddit.com/info/1dyhm/comments
2
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comment
nostrademons
2007-03-30T15:24:55
null
I bet Trevor would build it...
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7,554
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7,573
story
divia
2007-03-30T15:26:02
What Type of Visitors Are Best for Your Site: One Time or Return?
null
http://www.thenewbusinessblog.com/traffic/what-type-of-visitors-are-best-for-your-site-one-time-or-return/
2
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ClintonKarr
2007-03-30T15:41:34
null
Example: what if a real estate broker hired a really personable ex-cheerleader/glee club member for $20 an hour to do nothing but sweat the details and be charming the entire time the closing was going on?<p>Sounds like the pharmaceutical sales industry.<p>Reference:<a href="http://edrugsearch.com/edsblog/introducing-the-all-pharma-cheerleading-squad/">http://edrugsearch.com/edsblog/introducing-the-all-pharma-cheerleading-squad/</a>
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7,545
7,545
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7,575
comment
pg
2007-03-30T15:45:22
null
It's true that making something people want, if you push it too far, would cause you to make something dangerously addictive. But <i>very</i> few startups are that successful; 99.9% of them err on the side of not making something attractive enough.<p>So "Make something people want" is like "Get more exercise." <p>Plus, if you want to try to replace this rule with one that works in that additional .1% of cases as well, it's hard to say what it should be. "Make something people should want?" Then you're on the road to fascism (if you have a lot of power) or failure (if you're just a little startup). I suspect that "Make something people want" is optimal in the same way democracy is. As Churchill said, it's the worst form of government except all the others.
null
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story
domp
2007-03-30T15:47:41
Sean Parker(Napster,Plaxo, Facebook) gets involved in politics with Project Agape
null
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/03/29/project-agape-sean-parker-to-apply-virality-to-altruism/
1
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7,576
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[ 7631 ]
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7,577
comment
ClintonKarr
2007-03-30T15:56:01
null
Aur, thank you for your insight. Currently I would say I fall more into a marketing/sales/negotiation "box," which I believe is an important aspect for start-ups.<p>If I were to begin a start-up it would be as a co-founder. Yes, I would need to find someone with the technical know how - fortunately I'm living with a software engineer. Unfortunately, I'm pretty sure he is happy with his job...but maybe I can convince him to give me 20% of his time if I develop my plan further.<p>Again, I appreciate your response.<p>Best wishes,<p>Clinton
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7,050
6,918
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domp
2007-03-30T15:56:46
The problem with DRM + music subscription services
null
http://techdirt.com/articles/20070329/173412.shtml
2
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comment
python_kiss
2007-03-30T15:59:59
null
LOL! "For ages 28 and under". This also made me laugh: <a href="http://flickr.com/photos/36521975476@N01/138454683/">http://flickr.com/photos/36521975476@N01/138454683/</a>
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comment
r3v3r3nd
2007-03-30T16:04:01
null
I have a wife and two small children. I have also successfully started a business using only "sweat capital" and know the stress it can put on a marriage. So I might qualify to give you some advice. I am also starting another company and willing to move to Cambridge.<p>I am fortunate to have a wife who is very supportive and sees the payoff of me staring a new venture. If I win, she wins. Also, I plan to move the wife and kids to Cambridge for the summer. They view it as an "extend vacation". Well, a vacation with no money, but at least it is new scenery (new playgrounds are always exciting for kids!).<p>I don't think the "don't do it" wisdom is always applicable. It wasn't in my case. As long as you make some time for your family and kids, and as long as they know the situation is pseudo-temporary, it can work. <p>Besides, being miserable at your current job is probably just as a negative on your wife and kids as a start up. It is hard to come home and be a good husband/father when you are bored/frustrated all day.
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comment
nickb
2007-03-30T16:04:18
null
She didn't. She didn't touch his shares :)
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story
Mistone
2007-03-30T16:06:25
How to let your current employer fund your next startup
null
http://www.gobignetwork.com/wil/2007/1/5/how-to-let-your-current-employer-fund-your-next-startup/10005/view.aspx
1
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1
[ 7679 ]
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comment
pg
2007-03-30T16:08:19
null
I think it's time for Alexa to die. Their stats have always been a dangerously misleading source of data. Now they're behaving evilly too. If anyone wants to apply to YC with an idea for a replacement, we'd be excited to fund such a company.
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[ 7595 ]
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comment
richcollins
2007-03-30T16:11:13
null
People's hidden desires will continue to be fulfilled by a free market society. People can feel free to try to swim against the tide, but nature abhors a vacuum.<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Century_Of_The_Self">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Century_Of_The_Self</a>
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story
Hexayurt
2007-03-30T16:15:29
Looking for entrepreneurial team: non-patentable idea, first client lined up
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1
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comment
Hexayurt
2007-03-30T16:15:38
null
Sorry to repost, it's been pointed out to me that the original headline was poorly phrased.<p>So, here's the situation: there's an idea, it's already been publicly disclosed by me several times in email and other mediums, so there's no possibility of a direct patent. That's the way I want it - I'm a humanitarian working in the refugee field.<p>However, there's a spin off concept which I have a client for. They're quite interested and figuring out internal funding issues. If that comes off, there would be a relatively fat contract to deliver a working system based on 2D bar codes, camera phone programming and some basic cryptography to ensure the data on the bar codes isn't stale or damaged. The limiting step is how much data can be printed on a US Letter piece of paper and successfully extracted by the camera on a camera phone. There are some windows for developing IP on doing things like deconvolution algorithms for out of focus shots and so on.<p><a href="http://appropedia.org/Hexayurt_Project">http://appropedia.org/Hexayurt_Project</a><p>The deal would be that, if the client comes through, I'd act as an advisor to the team but, otherwise, simply walk away from the deal. I need the tools, I need the job done, but this is not my trade or how I make my living.<p>If you're interested, email me: [email protected]
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7,585
7,585
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[ 7609 ]
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story
msgbeepa
2007-03-30T16:16:00
How To Find Audio And Video That Suits Your Taste
null
http://www.wikio.com/webinfo?id=15843318
1
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7,587
0
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comment
Mistone
2007-03-30T16:19:35
null
don't know the details but these finalists were selected from a pool of 70-80 entries and all the judges are top name VC's and angels, so you tend to get a good group. <p>Many of the final group are fairly IP/Research orientated so it might be less relevant for the Web 2.0 crowd, but I always find it interesting to see others pitching their startups, to get pointers on what works and doesn't work, and find out about new / cool technology businesses.<p>Finals presentations are open to the public. <p>Thursday, April 26, 2007 6:00pm - 9:00pm Andersen Auditorium
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story
Mistone
2007-03-30T16:25:22
Introducing Web2Open @ Web 2.0 Expo: The free conference attended, imagined and created by YOU.
null
http://www.socialtext.net/web2open/index.cgi?schedule
1
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0
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story
brett
2007-03-30T16:25:39
A VC: The Industry Standard - Lessons Learned
null
http://avc.blogs.com/a_vc/2007/03/revisionist_his_1.html
4
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0
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story
domp
2007-03-30T16:39:13
Matador is a new social network for serious travelers
null
http://mashable.com/2007/03/29/matador/
1
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0
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story
nurall
2007-03-30T16:39:25
Community review based patent search - WikiPatents!!!
null
http://wikipatents.com/
4
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1
[ 7594 ]
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comment
BrandonM
2007-03-30T16:39:58
null
I don't think it's the keeping in touch that is bad. I think it's the extreme situation (which I have personally seen) where people spend hours per day going around Facebook to look at people's pictures and profiles. Usually this is some method of procrastination employed when a major paper is due or there is an exam the next day.
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comment
nurall
2007-03-30T16:40:52
null
The IBM initiative - <a href="http://dotank.nyls.edu/communitypatent/">http://dotank.nyls.edu/communitypatent/</a>
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comment
domp
2007-03-30T16:47:56
null
Our submission focuses on this sort of data, but just not for all websites. We're looking to provide tracking and statistics for our target market.
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comment
dfranke
2007-03-30T17:03:33
null
My knee-jerk reaction was to agree with Cato, but the problem is that broadband isn't a free market. The telcoms have been legislated into monopolistic conglomerates. The damage caused by those laws is already done; repealing them now wouldn't help. So, although in a perfect world I'd be in favor of competing telcoms and against net neutrality laws, a government-created, government-regulated monopoly is better than a government-created, unregulated monopoly.
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7,463
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[ 7799 ]
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story
jmtame
2007-03-30T17:11:30
Millionaire Before Graduation: Max Levchin (My 5-Question Interview)
null
http://jtame05.wordpress.com/2006/10/21/millionaire-before-graduation/
1
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7,597
0
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story
far33d
2007-03-30T17:11:47
death of the blockbuster drug (maybe the blockbuster software too?)
null
http://paul.kedrosky.com/archives/2007/03/30/death_of_the_bl.html
1
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7,598
1
[ 7601 ]
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story
jmtame
2007-03-30T17:11:48
What drives me to love "business" and entrepreneurship?
null
http://jtame05.wordpress.com/2006/09/06/what-drives-me-to-love-business/
1
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7,599
0
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