billybob

65 ms·

601.
by billybob 16y ago
...if it weren't already a popular game where some people will have prior exposure and therefore a big advantage.
602.
by billybob 16y ago
Seconded. One of the most valuable tools for me in Spanish is the ability to describe things I can't say. I don't know the word for tick, but I could say "an insect that [hmmm, don't know the word for 'sucks'...] eats your blood, and it doe
603.
by billybob 16y ago
Do people really spend their time criticizing others on HN? We get it, you're too busy and smart for such tomfoolery. :) Seriously, whoever made this did it as a fun exercise. They probably have to make boring forms at work and wanted to se
604.
by billybob 16y ago
Personally, I think women who are concerned about your wealth and status (beyond "he's not a bum") are too shallow to worry about, anyway.
605.
by billybob 16y ago
I'm renting and probably paying the landlord's mortgage. But I know that I will live here a specific period of time and then move. So by renting, I'm buying peace of mind: I don't have to sell a house or worry about getting stuck with it, a
606.
by billybob 16y ago
There's also the interesting idea of "don't disturb your contentment," to paraphrase. Drive a modest car and be happy; don't rent a fancy one or you'll start wanting it. Each person has to decide which things are worth splurging on. But the
607.
by billybob 16y ago
It sounds great, but like anything, there are tradeoffs. "What's the best-paying job I can find" vs "what's the best-paying job I can find within biking distance" are very different questions. The difference in income may far outweight the
608.
by billybob 16y ago
I dunno. Sam Walton (founder of Wal-mart) famously drove an old truck long after he was rich. He said he liked it and didn't care about driving something fancier. Probably this attitude had helped him get where he was.
609.
by billybob 16y ago
Agreed. Better advice would be "stay behind the curve." Right now, if you want a Wii, it's expensive. If you're happy playing Playstation 2, it's cheap. A Wii will be cheap 5 years from now when something cooler is out. Same kind of thing a
610.
by billybob 16y ago
Basically, he says the "word processor" is not geared to help the workflow of writing. I agree. When I was a journalist, I would take notes in one or more files. When I was ready to write the story, I'd put the notes in one window and the s
611.
by billybob 16y ago
I'm not a huge fan of flash, but I do think peer-to-peer is a great way for the web to grow. Anything legitimate - making it harder for ISPs to say "it's only for pirates" and throttle it - is welcome in my book.
612.
by billybob 16y ago
Maybe Microsoft can leapfrog this, though. I hear Windows Mobile 7 will be as good as Windows 98. ;)
613.
by billybob 16y ago
Rant: one thing that certainly doesn't scale is micromanagement. If you are getting copied on every email sent by your employees, you do not scale. You are very busy, oh yes. And that makes you look important. But you're missing details, an
614.
by billybob 16y ago
Exactly. And I think there's a corollary: If officials can get bribes for doing something, they WON'T do it WITHOUT a bribe. So nothing will work the way it should. Bribes perpetuate the same red tape problem they appear to "solve." Her sta
615.
by billybob 16y ago
"I'm sure facebook got a lot less appealing to some when their parents friend them." Yes. I'm not posting anything I'd be ashamed of, but when Aunt Ginger shows up to a conversation, the conversation changes. It's not snobbery; it's just th
616.
by billybob 16y ago
This is what's got me thinking of quitting. I can handle choosing my settings up front. But every time I turn around, they're sharing something new about me with the web. Besides the violation of trust, it's a hassle - I don't want to log o
617.
by billybob 16y ago
Ooops - looks like somebody forgot to put "TRUNCATE" in the list!
618.
by billybob 16y ago
I wanted a sprinkler system with lasers instead of water. Pop up, laser the grass in all directions, pop down. Just make sure nobody's in the yard, first. :) In practice this is probably a terrible idea - your beautiful green grass is const
619.
by billybob 16y ago
Depends on what you mean by "work." If you mean "completely eliminate mosquito-borne diseases," probably not. If you mean "slow their spread and reduce the number of people affected," or "help your party guests get fewer bug bites," then ye
620.
by billybob 16y ago
If you have a short attention span, just scroll down and watch the video. Awesome. DIE, LITTLE BLOODSUCKERS!! :) On a side note, in Asia I got the chance to use a device that's like a tennis racket with a bug zapper sandwiched between finge
621.
by billybob 16y ago
I think the real lesson is "avoid lockin whenever possible." Yes, it's easy to switch from Google search to something else. But is it easier to leave Google Buzz or Google Docs than to leave Facebook or Microsoft Office? (Yes.) As long as y
622.
by billybob 16y ago
An interesting point. "I must design this well" or "I must code this beautifully" are inner drives that don't necessarily have rational thought behind them. But then, the real truth behind this is that all rational thought rests on faith. "
623.
F.C.C. Weighs Plan to Warn of High Cellphone Bill(nytimes.com)
2 points by billybob 16y ago|0 comments
624.
by billybob 16y ago
So when my Mom learns to Google for iTunes tips, she will follow a tutorial and find that she's missing that UI element? And every tutorial step will include "if you don't see this, maybe you're using an old version, or maybe you need to hu
625.
by billybob 16y ago
Depends on how you define "recently." I think the idea that humans are getting smarter and nobler is hogwash. There were plenty of professional philosophers in Rome while the emperor was burning Christians on pikes as party candles. And Rom
626.
by billybob 16y ago
It's your kid, but I'd temper the advice with this: 1)There's no such thing as the perfect mate. Looking for perfection will make you dissatisfied with everyone you date. 2) A lot of what makes a relationship work or fail is how you treat e
627.
by billybob 16y ago
This should be taken with a grain of salt. Yes, change jobs enough to get lots of experience and pay raises. Don't get stagnant somewhere. But imagine you never stay more than 6 months! Potential employers may think "is it worth our time to
628.
by billybob 16y ago
Yes - if my employer is loyal to me, I feel more inclined to be loyal to them. If they make it clear that they'll fire anyone, anytime, as soon as profits drop, then I'm happy moving on whenever I please.
629.
by billybob 16y ago
I have a desktop and don't want to leave it running all the time. Besides the power, the fact that the fan is running means that friction is slowly killing my moving parts. What's the point? I'll turn it on when I want to use it.
630.
by billybob 16y ago
Either the results will be rigged, or he will keel over, or the experiment will end for some reason.

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