instruction stringlengths 4 105 | output stringlengths 8 56.7k |
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http://apps.ycombinator.com/ | nickb: Because HN cookie's root url is news.ycombinator.com and not .ycombinator.com. |
ASK HN: mobile phone start-ups | known: http://www.mobilesitegalore.com |
why do you upmod? | Hates_: Personally I just upmod articles I want to reference in the future (they get stored in your saved section). |
why do you upmod? | noodle: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=222799 |
Interested in news? Network bureau chief just described a service he wants... | rodrigo: Im interested, losdosplebitos -at- gmail , thanks. |
static files(on server) analytics? | noodle: awstats will, i think, fit your needs. |
One ajax call or two simultaneous calls? Which is faster? | noodle: my rule of thumb, that i would apply to this situation, is keep it simple. if you want to optimize, test both options in your own app. i don't think that one can generalize this situation to say for sure which option is faster or better without also having the context of your application in mind. |
static files(on server) analytics? | utnick: cat access.log | grep staticfilename | wc -l |
How are monopolies lost? | noodle: stagnation and complacency. |
One ajax call or two simultaneous calls? Which is faster? | pedalpete: I was considering a similar issue not long ago and decided on one call for the following reasons
1) user percieved speed - I can't control the users bandwidth, or memory, and two ajax calls means two pages being retrieved by the users browser, and then two different functions to place those pages into the users browser
2) error handling - what if there is an error with the image or comments? the user will get one portion returned, and not the other (minor disconnects happen all the time and usually it isn't detrimental, but the more ajax calls, the more opportunity for failure).In the end I decided to do one ajax call and the split the returned data into two strings and place them on the page.You can check out the results at www.HearWhere.comAlso, if you are always getting the image with related comments, I would suspect that they would both go within the same area/div of a page, so why split them? |
One ajax call or two simultaneous calls? Which is faster? | boucher: I guess I don't really understand the question. You're loading text based content, and an image, and you want to know whether or not to get everything in one XMLHTTPRequest, or to load two separate XMLHTTPRequests?Why do you need a request at all for the image? If you've got the information you need and predictable URLs, you could use one XMLHTTPRequest, and simultaneously create an image in JavaScript and set it's source, right? This will obviously be faster than first going to your server, then creating the image in the resulting html. Of course, if you can't actually generate the image tag without hitting your server, then this is all moot. |
How are monopolies lost? | 13ren: By a new technology that changes the nature of the value proposition, for customers.Warren Buffett seeks monopolies (like Coke). He avoids high technology because of the uncertainty of technology revolutions (they can still happen but less often; and even less likely to alter the nature of the value proposition - though note that coke, chocolate and chewing gum were new technologies at one time...).- Schumpeter's theory of "creative destructionism"[1] shows how innovations can make monopolies irrelevant.- Clayton Christiansen's "disruptive innovation"[2] is similar. He tracks the disk drive industry, and notes that incumbents retain their leadership through technology changes - unless they change the nature of the value proposition for customers. ie. no longer more of the same, but different tradeoffs. More precisely: a change in the ranking of benefits in the customer value proposition. e.g. Today's shift from HDD to SDD. [edit: he also predicted the 1.8 inch HDD to rise in a new market that valued its attribute ranking differently - pre-iPod]- Geoffrey Moore's "Crossing the Chasm"[3] is a more concrete analysis about the adoption of innovations. He notes that once a leader is enshrined as the leader, the market actively works to support them, granting them leeway never given to the also-rans. He gives lots of reasons, but mainly it's mainly derived from observation.This leadership has some of the qualities of a monopoly. It seems to be pretty hard to lose, except when the basis of it changes. i.e. when it "becomes irrelevant".[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Schumpeter#Schumpeter_an...[2] http://www.businessweek.com/chapter/christensen.htm[3] http://www.parkerhill.com/Summary%20of%20Crossing%20the%20Ch... |
How are monopolies lost? | rrf: Stronger substitutes would appear to be a significant factor. For example, the erosion of IE’s dominance following the introduction of Firefox and others (although the barrier of IE being pre-loaded onto the majority of personal computers means this dominance will continue for some time). In this case not necessarily new tech, but better tech. |
How are monopolies lost? | mattmaroon: Windows was/is a great product in many senses. Great is not a word with a single application to an OS.Windows was great in that it allowed multiple hardware vendors to compete on hardware without having to also design their own OS. It was great in that it allowed multiple corporations to market the same platform. And as it grew, it was great in that it allowed developers to write an app once that ran nearly anywhere.There's a lot more to "great", as applicable to an operating system, than even usability, stability, graphic design. A lot of times the things you value, as a developer, aren't what the general public does. You might want an OS that's very much like Linux but with a much better GUI. Most people just want their PC to cost $300 and run any program they buy or have bought in the past.So Microsoft's OS was clearly great by far more people's definition of the word than Apple's, and it reaped the rewards. |
How are monopolies lost? | wlievens: By bad dice luck usually, or by aunt Jane placing a hotel on Park Lane. |
How are monopolies lost? | mattmaroon: How many monopolies were lost without government intervention? I wouldn't call Apple's OS a monopoly, and even if it were, it wasn't for 10 years since Windows overtook it in 1990.I'm trying to think of genuine monopolies that faded away without intervention and am coming up blank. |
Ask HN:Infrastructure for a software project | davidw: Version control, of course. |
Ask HN:Infrastructure for a software project | jwilliams: If you're in this stage of setting up, there are a lot of (free) virtual machines (virtual appliances) that will do a lot of what you need.You can spin up a VM that's got linux and already installs of things like SVN, Trac, etc, etc. Run them on something like VMWare Server (free) and you're all set in mins/hours.There are a lot of VMWare based ones listed here:
http://www.vmware.com/appliances/Really handy and can save a lot of time.If you're working remotely, or at disparate or varying locations, I'd recommend the Hamachi VPN software (www.hamachi.cc). The Linux and Mac clients are very basic, but still work well.With this kind of setup we can take VMs of all the infrastructure, drop them anywhere and still work. We can take our laptops home, move house, sit in a cafe, go overseas and still check code in and out. All been very handy. |
static files(on server) analytics? | thomasswift: thanks guys |
Ask HN:Infrastructure for a software project | haasted: A common image for the developer machines.You'll easily lose a week per developer (especially ones that may join the project later) if each one is himself responsible for setting up development environment, support tools, off-line documentation etc. |
Ask HN:Infrastructure for a software project | prakash: You might want to read Cal Henderson's book Building Scalable Web Sites: http://www.amazon.com/dp/0596102356/ |
How are monopolies lost? | TweedHeads: Monopolies create power and with power comes corruptionand debacle... |
How are monopolies lost? | known: 1. Production
2. Distribution
3. ConsumptionI think monopoly arises when (2) is vendor locked. |
Ask HN:Infrastructure for a software project | known: http://sourceforge.net/projects/alexandria-dev/ |
advise on starting up a web-development company | mechanical_fish: You don't need to buy server hardware: Use something like Slicehost. You don't need to run an ad campaign.The way to get a customer interested in a long-term relationship is to do a tiny short-term project for them, and do it well. Web sites are like engines for generating work. They will have more work for you sooner or later.Don't compete on price unless you absolutely have to. That's a sucker bet. Your pricing sends a signal. Charging $10 tells me that you're either absolutely desperate, that you're located someplace very far away from my time zone -- possibly an uncharted backwater with pigeon-based internet connections and a really low cost of living -- that you're a student who has almost no time to spare and no business experience, or that you are such a neophyte that you can't be trusted to touch my website without breaking it. Possibly all four.Undercharging your competitors will bring you business, all right -- you'll get deluged by offers from the kind of delusional people who think that Youtube should cost a couple thousand dollars to design and build. If you hate bottom-feeders, why are you aiming at the bottom of the market? Learn enough skills to justify a higher rate, and sell your quality, not your low cost.Yes, if you charge $40 an hour or more (top developers with experience charge rather more than that) you'll have to actually convince people that you know what you're doing. To do that, you let them sign you up for a very tiny project that only takes 1 hour, then demonstrate competence on that. And you build a portfolio. Setting up a single website doesn't take long. You should build some site for yourself right away just to demonstrate that you know the basics -- or as a way to learn the basics.Read: http://eikonoklastes.org/articles/2007/09/26/how-i-can-charg... |
How do you meet a hacker to start a startup with if you are not in college? | dansegzy: i wish to meet an hacker to help me with what i need to do |
How do you meet a hacker to start a startup with if you are not in college? | dansegzy: i wish to meet an hacker to help me with what i need to do like getting any bank login in united state |
Any users of SimpleCDN? | spaceclaim: They do look pretty good, but I don't think they are a real company. It looks like they are a one or two person company running out of Mail Boxes Etc. Read this story for more info.
http://www.jacobrosenberg.net/2008/08/09/simplecdn-revolutio... |
What has been your biggest risk? | justin: Strapped camera to head.. turned into company |
What has been your biggest risk? | ordinaryman: Biggest risk : Not taking a risk, until now.Going to start on my own from Oct 01, 2008. The current economic scenario makes that option seem more adventurous/challenging, making it my next biggest risk. |
What has been your biggest risk? | fallentimes: Not quitting my finance job.Actually it was using 90k in credit card debt to finance my first business. It paid off. |
What has been your biggest risk? | phil_KartMe: customer risk. assuming people know what they want.specifically, do the potential customers who i interview really know how they want their information management problems solvedpayoff: tbd |
What has been your biggest risk? | dsifry: The Team. The more time that I spend building companies (Securemote, Linuxcare, Sputnik, Technorati, and now Offbeat Guides), the more I realize that the single biggest risk is in picking a great team. Get a great team that works together, and you can resolve almost every other problem - competition, product, market, financing, etc.Pick a poor team, and you can have all the advantages in the world - lots of money, little competition, a killer product, a huge market, and the company will find a way to screw it up.This was probably the biggest eye-opener for me when I moved from CTO jobs to CEO. It's all about the people, and how everyone works together. Learning leadership skills was incredibly important for me to be able to build and inspire teams.I've seen both sides of this at all the companies that I started. In my experience, it's far and away the most important factor in a company's success or failure. |
What has been your biggest risk? | vlad: Working at a corporation for a year. I guess it was worth it to know what it is like, but a terrible long term financial, educational, and health risk--not because of the company, but the domestication of relying on someone else over many years. Also, the opportunities I missed out on while working. |
What has been your biggest risk? | teuobk: Leaving a decent job where I worked with good people and was paid well. I left to go to grad school full time.I have yet to complete my studies, but my feeling is that it has been worth the cost. |
What has been your biggest risk? | petervandijck: Went to live in South America just because I was tired of Belgium, no job, no money. Turned out fantastic. |
What has been your biggest risk? | known: I wanted to study Medicine.
I ended up working for Wall Street. |
What has been your biggest risk? | amirnathoo: Getting married. |
What has been your biggest risk? | alexk: quit my job, no funding, just own savings,
each day of my personal freedom and a hard work is the best revenue I can get from this risk! |
What has been your biggest risk? | truebosko: Nothing huge yet, but a risk I may be taking in a year or so is moving out of the province/country.My goal is to move to Seattle with my girlfriend but obtaining a working visa trying to work at a small company/startup seems tough and basically start something new before moving back to Canada to start the next part of my life (probably a family)It's a big risk to me because I'm currently in a nice cushy startup with great people, good money, and I really can't complain. But a man's gotta experience life you know? |
How does News.YC work? | eries: it looks to me like your submission starts at one point, and anyone can give you +1. I think front page is determined by points-per-time-since-submission calculation. So if you can get a very early +1, you can generally make the front page right away. On a busy day, it's pretty hard, because your post doesn't stay on the "new submissions" page very long.anyone know if that's right? |
What has been your biggest risk? | gstar: Got married.Sold everything, moved from Australia to London.Took up contractingWife worked on our startup while we bootstrapped instead of earning a salary.In retrospect, it really doesnt feel like a risk at all, but I have significantly less hair. |
Virus scan service? | SwellJoe: I'm curious why you'd want something like this?ClamAV is among the top five virus scanners for accuracy, and it's free and open source. |
Virus scan service? | ivank: http://virusscan.jotti.org/ |
Virus scan service? | slackerIII: http://www.virustotal.com/ |
Secret military technology as groundbreaking as the tank and airplane were | anonymous17: (3) 'Active' optical camo for stryker vehicles which gives them near invisibility — SF and scout platoons can creep up to an enemy location and then just sit, waiting for maximum kill opportunity. |
Yahoo spam filter, is it possible to get through? | takhf: hack tocdomu hn |
How to store user/pass securely in the browser? | simonw: If you can convince the third party site to adopt OAuth, do that.Otherwise, one technique you could use is to encrypt their password using a key derived from a hash of the password they enter. When they log in, set that hash as their cookie. Each time you need to use the third party password, read that cookie and use it to decrypt the stored password.Since you don't know their real password for your own app (as you only store a different hash of it), you won't be able to derive the hash used for the decryption process (note that this means you need to store a hash of their password for your own authentication using a different salt from the one you use to protect their encryption).With this technique, having access to your database is not enough to decrypt their third-party password.Unfortunately none of this resolves the root problem. Firstly, by asking users to trust you with their passwords for other sites you are teaching them to be phished. Secondly, if you turn evil (or someone evil acquires your site in some way) the server-side logic can be changed to steal the user's password. |
How to store user/pass securely in the browser? | cperciva: First, I think the idea of you making API requests using your users' credentials is a bad one from the start. If the third party in question wants to allow requests-on-behalf-of, they should provide a proper API for it; if not, you shouldn't be working against their wishes by impersonating your users.That said, if you really really have to do this: Have your users provide you with their username and password; generate a random symmetric encryption key; store (username, encrypted password) on your systems and send (username, encryption key) to the user as a cookie.This will give you safety against an attacker who can steal your database or the user's cookies; it won't give you any protection against an attacker who can steal both of those (that would impossible), nor will it give you any protection against an attacker who controls your server at a time when a user tries to use your service (again, that would be impossible).But I still think this is a really bad idea. |
How to store user/pass securely in the browser? | Herring: Store it encrypted on their computer then decrypt it each time it's sent to you? Maybe I'm missing the problem.One way or another you're going to have to hold it as plaintext to submit it to the other site. It's nice to hold it only in RAM, but the vulnerability is always there. |
Stormpulse valuation | rantfoil: * If your company comprises a few founders/consultants, a great idea, a solid business plan, a working prototype, but none of you have a proven business track record, your typical pre-money valuation will be in the very low millions ($1 million to $3 million is typical). You should be looking for a seed round of $0.25 to $1 million. This is a difficult environment for you, and you should try getting some experience on your side* If your team has a successful start-up track record, and if you have a 2-5 person management team with significant e-business or technology experience, your pre-money valuation jumps into the high single or low double-digit millions. $6 million to $15 million is the typical valuation range, and you should be looking for a first round of $3 to $10 million.From:
http://oz.stern.nyu.edu/startups/vc.html |
Stormpulse valuation | mattmaroon: This may sound odd, but 300k-500k is about the hardest amount of money to raise. You're still too small for institutional investors, and you're large for an angel round. A typical angel might put in anywhere from $25k-$100k. I'd guess $50k to be the median, meaning you're looking at having to find 6-10 people.You're in good shape given your traffic and revenue, so I'm not trying to suggest that you won't be able to do it. Just be cognizant of the fact that it actually may be easier for you to raise $3 million than $3 hundred grand. |
Stormpulse valuation | lemonysnicket: keep going as long as possible as you can without VC -- in fact, you need to plan to do this and not bank on getting funding.out of curiosity, with $500k how will you "expand your coverage and services" in a way that won't currently happen? Is there really a burning need for this money, or will most just be salary for you to go full-time?with the little info I know (and my few life experiences) why not built out the viable revenue model while still in bootstrapping phase. |
Stormpulse valuation | aschobel: Why not do convertible debt and not worry about your valuation?http://www.entrepreneur.com/money/financing/startupfinancing... |
Stormpulse valuation | maxklein: Personally, I would not go for capital on your site. I'd put some ads on there, expand the service somewhat, and in a while you'll be making a bit of money. |
Stormpulse valuation | puzzle-out: Value the company at $3million, raise the capital through two or three angels, giving away 15% of equity in total. Involving VCs could mean problems exiting later down the line. You don't mention if you came through YC - even if this is not the case, the company sounds like a YC startup, and so its worth targetting angel investors who have had successful exits with YC companies in the past. |
Stormpulse valuation | mixmax: A little off-topic, but anyway:I live in a non-hurricane part of the world, and as such have no particular interest in the phenomenon except for when it is covered in the news. I saw stormpulse here on YC news, and checked it out. Since the site is so well designed and a real pleasure to use I have often found myself going back to check up on hurricanes that appear halfway around the world from where I live.You managed to get a regular visitor out of someone who has no particular interest in what you do, and that doesn't normally spend time just hanging out and doing nothing on the net. This is a big big accomplishment. And I think you deserve a big round of applause for having made such a well-designed site... |
Stormpulse valuation | wensing: Thanks everyone for the insightful and helpful answers. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | alaskamiller: I bought a cast iron skillet for 10 bucks (http://www.amazon.com/Lodge-Logic-4-Inch-Pre-Seasoned-Skille...) and it's the best thing ever. Fast to heat up and start cooking and easy clean up. Best thing to make for me is pan-seared yellowfin tuna steaks over veggies like asparagus or broccoli.Get a 5oz tuna steak of sushi-quality, marinade it with some soy sauce and sesame oil, sprinkle on some seasoning and sesame seed and just sear it on the pan for 2 minutes each side. Delicious, healthy, and fast.Same goes for chicken. Blackened chicken, easy, done. The cast iron skillet goes from stove top to oven. God I love this thing. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | ph0rque: Not exactly on topic, but... one of my future startup ideas is a robotic garden: basically, some kind of a transparent container with a controlled atmosphere and temprature, watering system, and nutrient supply that would produce a supply of fruits/vegetables year-round in any location. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | pg: Rice and beans. There are 1000 variations. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | mixmax: Risotto - all that's required is rice, stock, and parmesan. Add mushrooms, shrimp or whatever if it's saturday.Spaghetti bolognese - make a big serving and freeze it in portions. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | ichverstehe: I have no idea about food prices in your part of the world, but being a high school student living on a very small budget (think $200/month for food expenses, and this is Denmark which is relatively expensive) I have learnt a few tricks.One of them is baking your own bread! I have an electric mixer with some special tools for dough, so I spend 15 minutes every two days and have pretty good and cheap bread.Soups are another nice one, forget about the advanced ones, go with something simple, yet good, e.g. potato-leek-soup. Make big portions, put it in the freezer.Basic courses such as pasta can be pretty good if you spice it up a little. Forget about the ketchup, mix up a simple tomato sauce.And a little gem from The Silver Spoon: Some oil on a pan, put on a whole garlic clove untill it's brown, get it off the pan. Add a can of tuna, and some tomato puree that has been mixed with a bit of water. Turn down the heat, give it some fifteen minutes and add to your pasta. Inexpensive, easy and surprisingly good if you spice it up a bit.Basically anything that you can make in big portions and freeze is a bargain. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | menloparkbum: - eggs are cheap. egg white omelets and frittatas are reasonably healthy.- chili and soup. you can make a ton at once and then keep it in the freezer for meals the rest of the week. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | yummyfajitas: Saute mushrooms, with rosemary, garlic, onion, red pepper, salt and black pepper (to taste). Serve over couscous with yogurt (I recommend full fat stonyfield farms yogurt).Variations: add sundried tomato to mushrooms.Pasta with red sauce. Red sauce: saute garlic and a small onion. Add tomato puree (2 big cans), fresh basil (1 plant, break leaves off, wash, chop), garlic (saute first, then add tomato), oregano, parsley, salt and pepper (to taste).Variations: add some cream and vodka to red sauce, gets you pink sauce.Another good pasta sauce: saute garlic and onion in butter, then add heavy cream. When that heats up, add grated cheese (parmesan or swiss), salt and pepper (to taste), and possibly 1-2 tablespoons of flour (to thicken). You can also add sun dried tomato (saute it with the garlic), or cherry tomato (add it at the very end).This video changed my life: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dU_B3QNu_KsIn fact, just youtube Gordon Ramsey, Alton Brown, Jamie Oliver, etc, for good ideas. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | maurycy: Fish. Find the chepeast possible fish and eat with rice. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | jonmc12: I go to whole foods every 3-4 days. Pick up just enough:
- Tuna salad, Turkey, Pre-sliced peppers, Broccoli, Yogurt, walnuts, Green / white tea, prepped salads, walnuts, etcTrick is to make sure its ready to eat - even if its a little more expensive, that keeps me from eating out. Also, going every 3-4 days means that I eat everything, no waste. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | robg: Salad. Cut up the lettuce (the more colors the better - spinach, red leaf, romaine) once a week. Stick it in a big covered bowl in the fridge. Then add different stuff for different varieties - corn, tomatoes, avocado, shrooms, tuna, steak, chicken, ... |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | sidsavara: I recommend finding someone on craig's list to cook for you, so you don't have to worry about it. Time is at such a premium when you are trying to launch your own business, and if they're shopping for a family, they are probably better at bargain hunting and coupon clipping than you are.I did just that, and I discuss it in this post. Wasn't sure if HN would appreciate it, so I haven't submitted it here:http://sidsavara.com/personal-productivity/the-price-of-my-d... |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | rjett: Cook huge meals once or twice a week and save the leftovers...Spaghetti lasts me 4 meals, chicken pot pie lasts me about the same. +1 for PG's beans and rice...I cook it with kielbasa and sautee peppers and onions and that lasts me for 4 or 5 meals. Since I'm doing all my cooking, the average cost per meal comes in right around $3...not bad for a 2-guy-in-a-garage budget. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | shawndrost: I cook based on price, ease, health, and how long it takes the materials to go bad. My favorites:Lentils with onions, potatoes, and/or ham. Chop, put in saucepan with water. Salt.Chili with rice. Fry hamburger and onion. Add canned kidney beans, tomato sauce, chopped habanero, and chili powder. Salt. I highly recommend a ricemaker.I also like Thai curry with rice, but it'd be too much hassle if it weren't for the basil plants I grow. Fry chicken or fish with curry paste; add other stuff, like potato and peanut with red curry or eggplant or bamboo shoots with green curry. Add basil and habanero at the very end.I keep some beans, tortillas, and cheese on hand for when I'm too lazy to actually cook, and lots of fruit for snacks. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | rw: Spinach - lots of spinach. Popeye had it right. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | iamelgringo: My wife and I have been working on this for a while. We want to eat at home, but we really don't like the process of cooking every day.So, we cook once every 4-8 weeks. We purchased a freezer that we put in the garage for $3-400, and we do all of our meal prep at once. We buy all of our ingredients in bulk at Costco or the local Farmer's market, and then we prep 30-40 meals in one day. So, all we have to do for each meal, is thaw the package the day before, throw it in the oven or in a pan the following day, add a salad, and you're done.It takes a lot of planning, and it takes a while before find a set of recipes that freeze well, but after a year or so of doing this, we pretty much have the list. We're at the point now, that my wife pulls 8 or 10 recipes from the database, she puts the ingredient list together, we go shopping on one day, and asssemble and freeze meals the second day. It's about 8-10 hours work for both of us, and it cuts down 1-1/2 hours of meal prep and planning every day for 4-6 weeks. Along with the recipe in the database is a label with cooking instructions that gets printed out and saran wrapped to the package.If you Google for this, it's called "Once a month cooking". |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | inklesspen: Eat food (as opposed to processed food-like substances). Not too much. Mostly plants.Read Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food": http://www.amazon.com/dp/1594201455/It's a whole different model from the shifting "red meat is bad" "no, carbs are bad" "avoid fat" "eat omega-3 fat!" madness that has ruled eating for decades. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | noahlt: The things poor people eat all around the world:- rice
- beans
- soy
- potatoes
- fish
- veggies (anything dark but not too expensive)The real key to a good-tasting meal is freshness, even with simple foods. Seasoning is like makeup for food. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | lallysingh: Everyone's got different standards for healthy, and cheap. Mine probably aren't great, but I think it's a good starter position for going down this road. Especially if you're not really a cook.Here's mine: hit the grocery store and pick up some freezer ziplock bags and some family-size packs of meat (whatever's on sale). Individually bag and freeze them. With some veggies and sauce (A1 goes well with a lot), you've got some good options.Also, pasta. Mix in some chicken. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | misterbwong: All you need are a few "all purpose" ingredients1. boneless, skinless chicken breast2. mixed frozen veggies3. rice or bread (rice keeps a lot longer...)4. Misc seasonings (salt, pepper, chili powder, teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, etc)You can buy these things in bulk and they will last forever. Combine to make whatever dish you like. One of my favorites when I was working out a lot:1. Season chicken breast teriyaki sauce2. Wash rice and put in rice cooker3. Steam veggies along with the rice4. Cook chicken on foreman grill5. Pull out veggies, season with salt and pepper6. You're done!You could do a stir fry dish just as easily. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | tdavis: Wait until you get to the point where you want it healthy, cheap, and made for the super lazy. It gets even harder. Pans, ingredients, seasonings NNOOOoooo. If it's more complicated than PB&J I just can't bring myself to make it.This leads to lots of frozen steam-able veggies, fruit whenever we get around to going to the store, lots of yogurt, bagged salad... but also a ton of noodles. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | bootload: "... So can you advise healthy meals that are still within the 2-guy-in-a-garage budget? ..."You supply the ingredients, OpenSourceFoods for recipes (with pictures) ~ http://www.opensourcefood.com |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | kapitti: Take some premade pizza dough, put some ricotta cheese on it for the base - saute some baby spinach (10oz or so) and artichoke hearts (1 can will do) throw it on the pizza. Cook a single chicken breast in a skillet, dice it up, throw it on the pizza - sprinkle with feta cheese, add some crushed red pepper - throw it under the broiler until the feta is soft.Enjoy. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | hs: fruit - nature's fast foodas a bonus, the waste is bio-degradable |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | rkowalick: Buy whole meat instead of individual cuts. Honestly, it takes maybe 45 seconds to cut up a whole chicken. Use the breast meat for dishes with tasty sauces and cook the thighs, legs, and wings whole. Keep all of the bones and giblets to make stock. Boil the stock down A LOT. It takes a while, but you honestly don't have to do anything while it's reducing. Take the stock and pour it into ice cube trays and place the tray in the freezer. Any time you want to make a dish and give your sauce an extra heartyness, just throw an ice cube of stock in there.Great easy sauces include:-Chicken stock, soy sauce, and a little cornstarch-Heated oil mixed with minced scallions, ginger and a little salt-Chicken stock, pan drippings, savory and a little flour for thickening.If you want to get more sauce ideas, I highly recommend the cookbook "Sauces." Filled with tons of awesome sauces and a great basis for learning about sauce making to create your own!Cheap cooking and healthy cooking go hand-in-hand if you know what to do! |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | SarahToton: CHEAP TRICK: Buy staple foods that'll keep. Pasta, canned tuna, canned veggies, tomatoes, beans and rice rarely go bad. For good cheap protein, try preparing eggs (not only scrambled or hard-boiled, but use them in egg salads, green salads or in pasta recipes.) Also, check out: http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/2007/07/30/16-ways-to-eat-....CHEAP DINNER: Because I have no patience and often forget to eat, I've figured out a cheap, filling lasagna-type1) Prepare favorite pasta (penne works well)
2)Heat some marinara sauce, can or jar is fine.
3)Once the sauce starts to boil, reduce heat and add 1/2 C to 3/4 C cottage cheese to sauce (works like ricotta).
4)If you prefer, spoon cottage cheese over hot pasta and cover with heated marinara, then microwave or bake briefly to warm cheese. This adds a nice layer of melty cheese.(Cover plate of pasta, cheese and marinara with shredded mozzarella and bake at 425 for 9-12 min. if you want to be fancy and cheap.) |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | comatose_kid: Hire someone - I have a lady come in and make a weeks worth (7 meals for 2 children + 2 adults) of great tasting, healthy Indian vegetarian meals (4 dishes) for $40. The cost of the food is ~$20 if you shop smart, meaning avoiding grocery stores and getting your veggies from an Indian grocery store (India Cash and Carry in Sunnyvale is great).Instead of making rotis (which mess up the kitchen and take a while to make, and really only taste good fresh), we just get low carb whole wheat tortillas. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | mynameishere: Corn beef hash. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | mattmaroon: A large part of proper diet is eating a wide variety of stuff, so mix it up. Most of the stuff that is good for you is cheap anyway. Salads, fruits, vegetables, etc.Resist the temptation to subsist on potatoes, pasta, and some of the other cheap, often high carb, low nutrition stuff. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | rcoder: A big wok full of veggie stir-fry was my "go-to" dish in college. Frozen vegetables work well enough if money is really tight, but if you're willing to work with whatever is in season (or on sale) at the grocery store, you can get a lot of variety and flavor without spending much.Fresh ginger and garlic, along with some soy and sweet chili sauce, is really all you need for seasoning; protein can come from tofu, chicken, or really any meat or seafood item; carbs come from rice or ramen noodles that are boiled and then tossed in to sautee once all the veggies are done. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | gregwebs: breakfast:
granola that has flax oil + protein powder + multivitamin.I am going to switch it up and try oatmeal + a flax/fish oil |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | Hutzpah: A dish I like for breakfeast:
- grits (cooked) together with ham & eggs
- fresh tomatos as "salad"Grits are awesome to start the day with because they are not lying
heavy in your stomach but the energy lasts long. |
Tech jobs in US vs. Canada | aneesh: I don't see any of Google, Microsoft, or Facebook letting technical people go anytime soon, whether you're in the US or Canada. On the flip side, now is a bad time to get a job in investment banking regardless of whether you're in the US or Canada.I don't think you'd find inherently more stability in either country, but you would probably have more options in the US. |
Tech jobs in US vs. Canada | lunchbox: By the way, one of the challenges I see in working in Canada is finding a software company that can compare to Google and Microsoft in terms of being both innovative and established. RIM is the closest I can think of.Here's a neat ranking of Canadian tech companies.http://list.canadianbusiness.com/rankings/tech100/2008/q1/pe... |
Tech jobs in US vs. Canada | jwilliams: A career isn't a job - it's a series of jobs. Sometimes at the same company, usually not.Personally, I wouldn't worry about the far off horizon just yet - I'd focus on getting into the right roles where I'm challenged and can learn.The economic slump is going to hurt, but there will be opportunities too. For example, US-based development probably will become more competitive with offshore development. Might take a while, but could actually stimulate parts of the IT economy.If I were you I'd stick to the kind of role and experience I was after and leave worrying about stability down the track... I had several jobs after university, many of which were after the dotcom bubble. All good experience, and I got a lot out of it in the long run. If I'd tried to stick with stability in those times I'd have probably ended up somewhere very dull indeed (dull in my terms anyway).But in the end that's just a matter of preference. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | dejb: Canned Beans. Chick Peas are my favourite. Open the can and eat with a fork or spoon. Best to use the cans that can be opened by hand to avoid excessive preparation time. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | maxklein: Here is one: Lamb cotelets with couscous. It takes 5 minutes to cook and is quite delicious. It's in the Jamie Oliver book. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | mchristoff: indian fare from trader joe's is bomb, particularly if you're vegetarian and broke. it's $2 a packet and all you need to do is just squeeze it out and add starch (the nan they have in the bread section is also pretty solid).also, living in sf, burritos are the cheapest and most filling (not to mention tasty) takeout you can get hands down. |
Tech jobs in US vs. Canada | run4yourlives: You can get a program manager position right out of school these days? Damn I'm so cursed for being gen-x. |
Tech jobs in US vs. Canada | neilc: Making long-term decisions like where to live and work on the basis of short-term variables like the current economic climate is not a great idea, IMHO. It's hard to forecast economic conditions any significant time into the future, and the Canadian economy is deeply linked with the US economy anyway. In my experience (as a Canadian), you'll find more opportunities in the right areas of the US than you will in Canada, typically for better pay as well. There are lots of nice things about living in Canada, but purely for career advancement, I think the US is still the better choice. |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | iuguy: This is an awesome recipe that costs <£1 - I've managed to make it for 35 pence (not sure what that is in dollars these days) using product near their expiry date.Buy some cheap soup in a tin. I recommend Cream of Chicken because it's quite nice and usually available.
Go to the bakers or supermarket shortly before they close and buy a cheap crusty round bread loaf on discount. You could use a square loaf but that's just stupid.
Warm up the soup.
Whilst the soup is warming up, butter the underside of the bread and put it in the oven, medium heat for no more than 10 minutes. You ideally want it crusty and solid on the outside but not burnt.
When the bread is done, slice off the top of the bread. Scoop out the insides, tearing them up into little pieces.Here comes the science bit, watch carefully now:Pour the soup into the empty bread, use the torn up bits of the inside to bulk it up a little or leave them to dip into it. Add salt and pepper to suit and enjoy not having to wash a bowl afterwards. I defy anyone to eat a whole one including the bread.It won't leak because you baked the bread hard. The butter stops it from getting stuck to the bottom of the tray in the oven.There, soup hacked :) |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | truebosko: Some of the cheapest meals you can make will be pasta, stew, or chili type dishes.For example, a great tasting pasta dish I made last night contained the following: (prices are approximate and based from a Canadian's standpoint)- 1lb of Bacon: $4.50 (Yes, it's not GREAT for you but in moderation it's ok and it's easily substituted with another meat)
- One onion, one head of Garlic: $1.50
- 1lb of Pasta: $2.50
- Parmesian, Some Butter, Parsley: $2.00 (plus you most likely already have this)That creates 4 servings of a fabulous restaurant quality pasta (This is the actual recipe: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2008/09/cooking-with-ryan...)I made it last night, girlfriend and I have left overs for today. Super cheap, delicious, and healthy enough considering most of the stuff we eat is pretty healthy ( see : moderation!)You will save a ton of money making food yourself but there's the whole issue of it being time consuming which makes sense in a time = money world. In my scenario, cooking is a hobby and I want to improve it so it's a bit different, maybe you are the same! |
Hack a healthy, yet not expensive, meal. | khafra: Meta-tip: Don't forget to do the math. I like making my own chili, and it's healthier and tastier than pre-packaged fare, but after adding everything up (15oz each red, black, and pinto beans, 28oz diced tomatoes, a few fresh habaneros, ~1lb ground turkey, one onion, chili powder), it's slightly more per meal than if I'd bought a small fast-food chili or can of Hormel's |
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