GavinB

55 ms·

481.
by GavinB 18y ago
Absolutism: Simple. Satisfying. Wrong.
482.
by GavinB 18y ago
I find that I have the exact opposite experience from Doctorow. The hardest thing for me is to get started. Once I'm going I can bang out a lot of text. I always get my best writing done after I'm warmed up and emotionally involved in th
483.
by GavinB 18y ago
Quick Ma, get back into the Y2K bunker! In 29 years Starcraft will stop working! But really, in all seriousness, the singularity will come in 2032 and we won't have to worry about any of this stuff.
484.
by GavinB 18y ago
"(except in pathological states like folie a duex and romantic love)" Great essay, but I just loved that side note. "Oh, by the by, love is a pathology. Now, back the the article."
485.
by GavinB 18y ago
I was hoping that this was a map of time travel to various cities, possibly with details on the modifications to history that resulted.
486.
by GavinB 18y ago
For $40 you can try one of these: http://www.thinkgeek.com/electronics/musical-instruments/a94... If you want something with more options, go for: http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/PocketPOD/ You can also do it through your compute
487.
by GavinB 18y ago
The central idea of this post is absolutely correct--people make decisions based on emotions and loyalties and then try to justify it. The problem: "This caused my brain gears to freeze up a bit. If you don't vote for a politician based on
488.
by GavinB 18y ago
Great article. It's good to note that "The warm fuzzy feeling" is not unique to consulting. It is important in any area of business. This includes dealing with customers, investors, and even co-workers, employees, or supervisors.
489.
by GavinB 18y ago
If an organization is turning a profit for its owners or shareholders then it's a business, not a charity. That's a definition, not a moral judgment. There are lots of businesses that do good work for people. The tricky part is when you'r
490.
by GavinB 18y ago
I just think that a succinct summary of their views by a clear modern writer would have been sufficient for my purposes. For others who are more interested, it's great to have.
491.
by GavinB 18y ago
Writing my novel! Okay, so I guess I'm not a real hacker.
492.
by GavinB 18y ago
The Chinese Room argument is wrong. That in itself does not make it useless. It forces you to bite the bullet and really think about how systems must be able to give rise to intelligence, regardless of their physical makeup. The wikipedia
493.
by GavinB 18y ago
The problem with philosophy now is that students spend so much time slogging through the old incomprehensible junk. A philosophy degree (I have one) should be a separate entity from a degree studying the history of philosophy. Psych major
494.
by GavinB 18y ago
Every market has a tail that looks like that. The App store is not unique in having a long tail.
495.
by GavinB 18y ago
The new Napster is $15 a month. I can listen my music on any computer and on my portable mp3 player. The artists and labels get paid based on which music I listen to. The DRM really isn't a big deal, because I can listen from anywhere wit
496.
by GavinB 18y ago
Dropbox is awesome, miles ahead of the competition. My one complaint is that it doesn't seem to sync files unless they are closed. So when if I'm working on a manuscript for several hours, just pressing "save" doesn't back it up. I'd hav
497.
by GavinB 18y ago
Yes, yes, yes, yes, and however many yesses are required to agree with all those things. We also shouldn't forget the opening of more intellectual jobs to women, minorities, poor people . . . well, it use to be that only the aristocracy ha
498.
by GavinB 18y ago
The adoption rate may be okay but even in large cities what we call "broadband" is no comparison to what they have in, say, Korea. Our tubes just aren't as big. And no, it's not that they're compensating for something, get your mind out of
499.
by GavinB 18y ago
There are more people of that level of intelligence, they just don't stand out as much because there are so many and their work is more obscure. I suppose it's a legitimate question whether anyone will ever achieve the same public mythology
500.
by GavinB 18y ago
Shoes used to be made out of wood. Now they have ones with a miniature finger operated air pump. That's progress!
501.
by GavinB 18y ago
I thought PG's article was pretty spot on. He wanted regulatory actions to be viewed in the broader context with an understanding of the net drag of all the regulations. If we could convince elected officials to do this sort of analysis,
502.
by GavinB 18y ago
We don't need communism. Just basic protection from loan sharks, con artists, and the worst dishonest business practices. Libertarians may hate it, but consumer protections make the lives of most people simpler, safer, and more free. They
503.
by GavinB 18y ago
On the other hand, you can get hilarious mixed messages like this set of headlines on the front page right now: http://i35.tinypic.com/1z3cv1h.jpg CNET: They're selling out? Business week: No one wants them any more? Apple 2.0: It's def
504.
by GavinB 18y ago
Let this serve as a reminder to us all not to be haters. Because every time you take a long, refreshing draught of haterade, you become a little more like this guy. Yes, even when you're right.
505.
by GavinB 18y ago
My joke was just meant to illustrate that taking on too much debt was exactly what got us into this mess.
506.
by GavinB 18y ago
I'd love to talk to someone who could do some flash work on a freelance basis in the NYC area. Not for a startup, but fun stuff.. Imagination a big plus! gavin at gavinbrown.com. Include a link to some work.
507.
by GavinB 18y ago
The Federal Reserve (NYSE: FED) is becoming highly leveraged. They may be next in line for a bailout, hopefully Bernanke will know to sell the jet before the congressional hearing.
508.
by GavinB 18y ago
I assume it would be cheating to simply never recommend Napoleon Dynamite and the other controversial movies?
509.
by GavinB 18y ago
edit: hugeurls don't work on HN.
510.
by GavinB 18y ago
Maybe I didn't see it, but at any point did you just sign up on one of the web forms and see what response you got?

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