csallen

54 ms·

691.
by csallen 7y ago
> it definitely hurts the bottom line of indie musicians, writers, moviemakers, etc. One could argue that open-source hurts the bottom line of plenty of people building similar things that aren't free. And that if we'd spent
692.
by csallen 7y ago
The difference is the level of privacy and intrusion. We're comfortable with people being told to get rid of stolen goods, or to delete copyrighted material from their servers. It remains to be seen that we'd be just as okay with
693.
by csallen 7y ago
I was going to say the same. Lawmakers are elected officials. They're incentivized to do what gets them votes. And voters are concerned with the complexity of laws. Perhaps what we need is better education to create more informed voter
694.
by csallen 7y ago
> why not write simpler laws and regulations and leave it to the courts What incentives do lawmakers have to make laws simpler?
695.
by csallen 7y ago
Seconded. One of the more impressive books I've ever read, the way the author tells the story of the computer, which has a very complex history. He does a great job weaving together all the bits and pieces while also keeping it engagin
696.
by csallen 7y ago
If it's a two-way conversation, I think it's fairly lopsided. The reason is: competition. When consumers only have one choice or a few, sure, that company can exercise a lot of power in dictating what people read, and thereby infl
697.
by csallen 7y ago
Exactly right. For example, many media organizations right now are reporting record traffic numbers, but are struggling to make ends meet as advertisers pull out.
698.
by csallen 7y ago
Craigslist makes oodles of money. But I still think the post you're responding to is too cynical (shocking on HN, I know). One author on one website praised Berkshire Hathaway's website. So what? Plenty of people on plenty of othe
699.
by csallen 7y ago
A lot of this is a direct result of feeling that one always needs to be on the bleeding edge, which is both unnecessary and also a recipe for wasting time on fads. As an analogy, consider fiction. Imagine reading as many new novels as possi
700.
by csallen 7y ago
Patrick Winston was easily my favorite professor. He took a special interest in everyone he met, and was also a great storyteller. On the first day of the first class I took with him, I sat down in the front row. I'd never met him befo
701.
by csallen 7y ago
Throw some extrinsic motivation into the mix. Intrinsic motivation is great of course, but it's fickle. Your internal emotional state changes like the wind depending on what's going on in your life, what time of day it is, your mo
702.
by csallen 7y ago
Then why should it be illegal? Sure, as the maker of said product, I won't be happy seeing it portrayed in a negative light. But bad reviews, negative jokes, and outright mockery are a natural risk that comes from the totally optional
703.
by csallen 7y ago
I built and sold an installable application in the past, and #5 was brutal. For some reason it's rarely discussed.
704.
by csallen 7y ago
I think that's an extreme position, not a common one. I've also heard similar from a few on the right. "Only 1% of the population would die. That's not worth risking the economy over." And another gem: "People
705.
by csallen 7y ago
Yes and no. It's been 10 years since I graduated, but I doubt much has changed. The curriculum is rigorous, the students are smart, and people are serious about learning. But nevertheless, going to MIT does signal something much stro
706.
by csallen 7y ago
Not sure why people are downvoting you. It's clearly the case that there are lots of problems you can solve that create value and make/save people money, yet don't result in you capturing any of that money for yourself. For-p
707.
by csallen 7y ago
It's hard to say MySpace wasn't successful. They grew rapidly, became the largest social network in the world, and sold for $600M within a few years of being founded. That'd be a success for almost every founder.
708.
by csallen 7y ago
I have to disagree, unless you're talking about black swan events, which are different than the conversation at hand: They're instances of bad luck ruining otherwise-certain success, rather than success being created via good luck
709.
by csallen 7y ago
Luck plays a role in all things, but I can't agree with your depiction suggesting that nothing else matters, that the right knowledge may not even increase your odds, and that we can't ever really know anything. If you're try
710.
by csallen 7y ago
I'll probably add PayPal eventually. Just a matter of finding the time! There's nobody at Stripe telling me not to, nor did anyone at Stripe suggest I add Stripe-verified revenue in the first place.
711.
by csallen 7y ago
That was me. If I could go back in time 3.5 years and make a different decision, I would! Unfortunately I don't have time to do a full rewrite today. (I'm the only developer/designer on IH.) But I do try to make regular incre
712.
by csallen 7y ago
This is a good point. I played semi-high level StarCraft for a while (high masters, low grandmasters), and strategic decisions based on the metagame certainly won and lost me many games. That said, the GP has a point, too. I probably would&
713.
by csallen 7y ago
Having started numerous tech companies myself, interviewed hundreds of others who have, and started a community that instructions others on how to do so, I will say that HN's perception of how easy, profitable, and common it is to have
714.
by csallen 7y ago
I actually enjoyed my Google Glass, primarily its always-on easy-to-reach nature. Pulling your phone out of your pocket, turning it on, and unlocking it is a trivial action, sure. But putting your finger up to your face is still an order of
715.
by csallen 7y ago
"Scientists run tests on guinea pigs. A/B testers run tests on me. Therefore I am a guinea pig. Guinea pigs have no rights. Therefore A/B testers are taking away my rights." I've never been a fan of this particular
716.
by csallen 7y ago
That's because the author intentionally added gaps via "grid-gap:10px" and changed the alignment via "align-items:baseline". You could easily undo either of these styles to achieve the desired effect.
717.
by csallen 7y ago
I support decriminalization of mushrooms, but I think your question is somewhat irrelevant. When considering a new law, the thing people discuss is, "Will this have terrible side effects?" rather than, "Will this have worse s
718.
by csallen 7y ago
"When you invent the plane, you invent the plane crash."
719.
by csallen 7y ago
No, Microsoft is the same. My comment doesn't imply that Microsoft is somehow simpler than Google. The point is that the two people above me are disagreeing because they're over-simplifying these complex entities.
720.
by csallen 7y ago
It's almost as if Google is a massive organization running hundreds of initiatives spanning decades, making it difficult to simplify things with a single description.

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