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So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
Osmose: Samsung N130 Netbook, A $50 bond and a coffee mug. Oh, and a Rubik's cube that has been eating up far too much time.For my Dad, I promised to pay for a golf club he has on backorder. For my girlfriend, I got a PS3 with MGS4 and Little Big Planet (which is really so I can play LBP). Still trying to get my Mom to...
What are your goals for your startups in 2010?
camperman: 1. Shipping the game 2. 10 000+ people buying it because it's fun
If you had ready to use real time technology, what would you do?
rokhayakebe: AVATAR. Plug into a clone of me and watch him do everything I think.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
kabdib: A "Wiz" ARM-based open handheld gaming platform. And socks.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
BrentRitterbeck: I got Monopoly City, an old Chase Manhattan stock certificate, and a mint condition 100 trillion Zimbabwe dollar note.
Share Your New Year Resolution
dryicerx: Primary resolution is taking all my half-done and unfinished side projects and bring them to completion.Secondary new year resolution is hopefully triple QWXGA, you can never have too much pixel real estate.
If you had ready to use real time technology, what would you do?
DaniFong: An automatic, voice based translator: talk in one language on one end (to an iPhone or something) out comes another language and subtitles in another :-)One thing that's interesting about this is that it's not too far off. We have speech recognition technology, computer voice technology, and translation techn...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
vaksel: I just got cash. I'm impossible to shop for, since I just buy whatever I want. So about 5 years back we just agreed that I just get cash, since that allows me to buy the stuff I really want, when I get the itch.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
DaniFong: A necklace, a lamp, a dress, the 'inventor's almanac' book 'They Made America,' and several socks, the limiting factor for startups.
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'?
danwolff: Over the last couple of months, I became involved with a nonprofit which is taking a whack at #13, Online Learning. It is not technically the "current best solution", since it is upcoming: http://www.innovativeineducation.org. The website is admittedly rough, but this organization is initiating free online ...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
teuobk: A new set of tires for my car and a really nice scarf. I love practical gifts.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
mcav: An Intel SSD. Best speed-up I could get short of getting a new laptop. :-)
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
cpr: Hey, there are 12 days of Christmas, so I've got 11 more days to find out what I'm getting... ;-)(Seriously, we celebrate most gift-giving on Epiphany, the traditional 12th day of Christmas, when the Magi brought their gifts to Bethlehem. Takes the "gift whammy" off Christmas itself, though we have a few minor gif...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
callmeed: Magic Mouse, an AeroPress and some cigars
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
pasbesoin: A llama.(Go, Heifer! http://www.heifer.org/)
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
TriinT: A massive hangover...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
jseifer: I got a really nice citrus press - http://www.amazon.com/Breville-800CPXL-Die-Cast-Stainless-St.... I make orange juice with breakfast every morning and this will cut juicing time from 5-15 minutes to 2 depending on how many I'm juicing for.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
quizbiz: I'm Jewish... but I got a winter break from college to spend with the family. For that, I thank you all (while my patience with my mother lasts).
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
jaxn: I got a watch, scarf, and gloves. I am at the airport on my way to visit my girlfriend and am interested to see what she gives me (she is getting a sweet camera).But now that I have kids the giving is so much more fun than the getting. I got them a Samsung N130 netbook, mini helicopters, some books (DIY Diary o...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
quinto42: PSP Go!
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
caryme: A WakeMate! Well, a printed email confirmation of a WakeMate preorder.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
jeffreyg: convertible mitts! http://www.ems.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3651700
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
gaius: I got woken up at 1:30AM for a database replication problem, which wasn't a problem at all, there was no new data because IT WAS CHRISTMAS and there were no goddamn transactions to replicate. FFS!Anyway, Merry Christmas!
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
roundsquare: 2 hangovers in a row (maybe 3? we'll see...)Coupla magazine subscriptions since I don't really want much else right now.By the way, just finished Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance a few weeks ago. Great read even though I don't agree with it all.
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'?
cabalamat: Fixes to these problems needn't be startups. Part of the fix for problem 1 is the international Pirate Party movement.
If you had ready to use real time technology, what would you do?
ThomPete: One that solves thishttp://000fff.org/slaves-of-the-feed-this-is-not-the-realtim...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
kellishaver: Nice digital picture frame (I was running out of room on my desk for all the photos, so it's nice to have them all in one frame on a slideshow),some DVDs, new speakers.My biggest joy today has been watching my daughter, who is 7.5 and has taken a serious interest in digital art/design, as she learns all th...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
jarsj: Kindle ;-)
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
shaddi: An IR thermometer! I've always wanted one but never got around to getting it. I've been measuring the temperature of /everything/ since this morning. It's awesome to see how fast heating elements get hot, or quantify just how cold your coffee has gotten.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
randrews: A Novation Launchpad, which I have already hacked to play Connect 4 with. I really wanted to play with a Monome a couple years ago but I could never get my kit to work very well (electronics were no problem, building the case was), so this is perfect.Also the world's most awesome toy car: http://www.geekfu.or...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
dhimes: Celestial navigation stuff. Books, including Nautical Almanac and some "layman" items, sextant, watch synched to radio time signal; all cool stuff!
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
andreyf: The Little Schemer! You've got a lot of fun ahead of you :)
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'?
bokonist: 1) Rhapsody (yeah, I know hackers are supposed to hate DRM, Windows, and Real Networks, but I really like being able to pay $10 a month and listen to any song, ever made, instantly).3) news.ycombinator.com The comment section is almost invariably better than 95% of articles in the NYTimes.4) Google Apps5)...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
dkokelley: Repair manual and performance handbook for my 1993 Mazda MX-5.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
spencerfry: A Panasonic DMC-LX3 camera was my big present.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
kyro: Rejection from a grad school and a call from a collecting agency!
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
ratsbane: I want a Winnebago.
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'?
shaddi: 28. Unblab (http://www.unblab.com)They seem promising (I know one of the founders personally) but things are going slower than the impression I originally got. One of their products (Gtriage) is already out though. Basically they're doing data mining on people's inboxen.
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'?
bpick: Yourgrounds.com is in beta right now, and should be a better way to use classifieds than craigslist.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
JimmyL: Several nice sweaters, a suit, some decent stationary, a watch, and a plane ticket home to see my family.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
Flemlord: My present was my extended family agreeing to play Werewolf for the first time. I've been dying to play ever since I heard about it, but haven't had enough people to try it. (It requires at least nine; eight players and a moderator.) It was a huge hit and we're playing it again tonight with even more people.h...
What are the current best solutions for the 30 YC 'ideas'?
richardburton: Interesting that "6. More variants of CRM" hasn't had much attention.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
daeken: Capicola and some Italian bread dipping sauce from my Mom, with a bottle of raspberry ice wine (yum!) on the way. New York hard rolls (oh how I miss New England sometimes) from my dad. Investments by Bodie, Kane, and Marcus and a hangover from myself. It's been a good Christmas already.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
mattyfo: I got a cool Threadless shirt (101 cameras), a nice vest, a David Sedaris book, a nice light, 'The Ruby Programming Language', 'The Definitive JavaScript Guide' and a wonderful day with family.I'm digging into the JS book now and loving it, very comprehensive.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
dmarble: From my dad: A card that says, "This card is redeemable for cash in the amount of the cost of the Feb 2010 bar exam if you pass it." He's trying to incentivize me to study since I'm such a procrastinator. I have to admit, that's pretty creative of him.From my two younger married sisters who each have kids: a...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
axod: Batman cufflinks. Unfortunately they do not fire poisoned bat darts.... yet.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
Emore: I got Lego! Brilliant idea from my brother, and I must say that I enjoyed it just as much now (I'm 22) as I did ten years ago.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
zitterbewegung: Some sweaters and $280 in cash. I'm thinking about a ebook reader to read scientific papers on any ideas?
Have you given up your dream for your dream job?
lsb: Can you pursue your dream job on the side, on weekends?Also, what kind of a place interviews on Christmas day?
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
SwellJoe: Rejection letters from several banks for a small RV loan, even with a co-signer. So my Christmas gift to myself, an RV, will have to be paid for with cash, and will be a few years older than the one I thought I was getting. I'm also wondering where my tax dollars are going, if they aren't going into consume...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
i386: I received a Kindle 2 from my boyfriend and this awesome ceramic electric slow cooker. Anyone for pot roast? :)Kindle 2 is absolutely amazing. I bought "The Business Of Software" and noticed that the graphs and tables didn't render legibly at all. So I emailed the Kindle feedback folk and within an hour I had a r...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
mickeyben: I had an arduino board and the books "don't make me think" http://www.amazon.com/Think-Common-Sense-Approach-Usability/... and "programming clojure" http://pragprog.com/titles/shcloj/programming-clojure
Have you given up your dream for your dream job?
gouki: I'm relativity young to give up on my dream job just yet, but I'm having some serious doubts I'll ever get it.That being said, if it's your "dream job", and they can provide you with some safety, I say go for it. Use your free time to work on your own business.If you ever get to a point where keeping the two is ...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
adam-_-: Massive wooden chopping board :)
Have you given up your dream for your dream job?
davidblair: "A good plan, violently executed now, is better than a perfect plan next week."I haven't been in this situation before but I think what George Patton said applies.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
RevRal: Andrey Tarkovsky's Sculpting in Time Milorad Pavic's Landscape Painted With Tea A signed and framed picture by Will Cullen Hart Herzog Zwei for my Sega Genesis Planescape Torment for PC Leadbelly collection A brick of soft lead (I need this for swaging).Someone found it and thought of me :) Just ...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
dnsworks: I was treated intolerantly and kicked out of a fat guy clothing store by a crazy catholic store clerk for not caring that the Pope fell down.
Have you given up your dream for your dream job?
GavinB: Take it, and throw yourself into it for a year. Your business was a year away anyway, so it's worth discovering if it's your dream job. If it is your dream job, and the partnership materializes, go for it.On the other hand, you may discover that your dream job isn't what you really thought it was. Then you can ...
Have you given up your dream for your dream job?
agazso: If it is your dream job why don't you accept the offer? If you don't like it, you can still start your own business after a year or later (I don't know how old you are).If you like it, you can also start you own business, maybe a bit later, but with enough experience and an established partnership behind your b...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
ptn: New tennis racket.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
bgray: For Christmas I got an ESX losing power and bringing ~10 clients down with it. Merry Christmas!
What are your goals for your startups in 2010?
il: Get to $1 million in revenues, get an office, start hiring employees.
Have you given up your dream for your dream job?
Tichy: Temptation certainly seems to creep up at the most inconvenient moments.
Have you given up your dream for your dream job?
throwaway11111: Actually, I just came from the same situation.I applied for a job at company X, at Facebook, at Google, and I also applied to YC. After interviewing at company X, I thought this is the best job ever, I would love to do this.I then got YC, so cancelled the Google and Facebook interviews. I told company X...
Did the colour of the header bar change?
jleyank: On my mac, it looks like black on dark red. I have difficulty reading this, and recall old games with code numbers with this color scheme so they couldn't be xeroxed!
Did the colour of the header bar change?
tokenadult: It does every year at this time. It's a seasonal change that will be rolled back soon. Oddly, I had just set a user-configured topcolor for the first time just as the site topcolor was changed. Now I get to observe which HN pages don't display the user-configured topcolor.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
klodolph: Kitchenaid mixer. Totally awesome.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
whatusername: Cash towards a Canon 500d. Really looking forward to getting into photography.
Have you given up your dream for your dream job?
clueless123: I chose following my dream. To me, it was 100% worth it."Happy those who dream dreams and are whiling to pay the price to make them come true." (From an old skydiving movie)
Have you given up your dream for your dream job?
pgbovine: maybe i'm mis-reading, but isn't your dream job, by definition, one of your dreams? so shouldn't you always take your dream job no matter what?could you give an example of a dream that you cannot pursue because you were taking your dream job? it seems like any reasonable non-work-related dream can be pursue...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
jamesbritt: I got a book on making pop-up books and cards, and some glue sticks.Time to make stuff people can touch!
Did the colour of the header bar change?
cmelbye: Yes. And the numbers next to submissions are alternating green and red. Merry Christmas!
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
araneae: I got more ram, pocky, a gift card to amazon.com, and money.Also lots of bdsm gear from my SO, including some really nice suspension cuffs. (Is this TMI?)
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
verdverm: 2010 scion tC... Totally sweet ride, korman book, and much needed socks
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
portman: At our ultrasound in October, we asked the sonographer to write the baby's sex in a sealed envelope. Instead of exchanging presents, my wife and I opened the envelope this morning.It's a girl.
Have you given up your dream for your dream job?
roundsquare: I'm not even sure I know what my dream job is yet. Right now I'm drifting between eventually (or soon) doing a startup and something totally unrelated.I'm curious, at what age did other HNers feel that they had figured out what they wanted to do job-wise (even if they weren't doing it yet)?
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
dnewcome: I got some beer brewing equipment. Now I won't have to use old water jugs and spill stuff all over the kitchen. Come to think of it, this may have been just as much a gift to my girlfriend as to me... (she got me the stuff)
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
flooha: Some old Piers Anthony/David Eddings books from my 14yr old son, which was possibly one of the most personal gifts anyone has ever given me. My daughter got me a laminated Spanish vocab foldout which was really awesome because I've been meaning to make up my own. Finally spending a Christmas with my European ...
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
barmstrong: Kindle (latest generation)And some books, notably Hackers & Painters, although not in eBook format.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
sordidarray: http://calcul.biz/amazon_covers/007054235X.jpgNew.
So HNers, whatd'ya get for Christmas?
hardik: Am not a Christian but happened to close a big project last week so took the Christmas week off; so got holidays! Am using this time to explore new MacBookPro my wife gifted me earlier this month for my b'day.. ..and (this is the part where I remm saying 'Jesus sure does not love me all that much') results were...
Craigslist API
leelin: http://www.craigslist.org/about/bulk_posting_interfaceNote there are only a very limited number of supported categories.
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
vog: Well, in fact I wish I've known earlier about the books you were recommended: "How to Design Programs" and "Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs." I found them just a year ago.However, I was very young when I started programming, so I probably wouldn't have understood those books - partly for intellec...
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
jacquesm: I got started when I was in my early teens, most of it in a local computer store (where the salespeople would let me play with stuff I couldn't afford as long as I would explain to the customers what it could do).As for your second question, I wished I had learned about 'structured programming' earlier, that ...
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
patio11: I was growing up in a not-too-well-off school in Chicago, and found a book entitled Make Your Own Videogames in the library. Sadly, neither my family nor the school had a computer. Happily, I found that you can emulate BASIC code with graph paper, fourth grade arithmetic, and a lot of patience.
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
mszubart: I got started when I was 8 (in 1998). My friend bought polish magazine called something like "Programming tutorial with Borland Delphi 2" and he pulled me in this fun. And so began my bloody thirst for knowledge.
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
impeachgod: Yes! I read How to Design Programs when I was 13, and it turned my world around. I then read Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs, John McCarthy's paper on Lisp, and the rest is history.
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
YuriNiyazov: I got started with BASIC on a Bulgarian clone of the Apple IIe called Pravetz 8A which the Soviet Union imported in humongous quantities in the late 80s. http://www.pravetz.info/en/pravetz-8a.htmlNeedless to say, that's the wrong way to start now.
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
apsurd: When I was 19 I decided to start a t-shirt printing business and print tees/hoodies for high school clubs. I got this big idea that I needed a cool website. With more time than money, I sought out google to teach me "how to make a website". HTML and CSS days later, I got introduced to PHP. I then spent the next...
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
protez: What made you think that you need to learn something about them? No method is goal-independent.
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
dougp: I got started when I learned you could program a TI 83
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
maxklein: I learnt the basics in high school, deepened my knowledge in college, did a bunch of Microsoft Certification Courses to give myself professional experience, and I attend 3-5 seminars a years to improve my knowledge and keep me up to date.Just kidding.
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
Apreche: LOGO on an Apple 2 in Kindergarten
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
bmj: I came from a liberal arts background (philosophy and writing), and got into programming when a friend was describing his work. He pointed me in the direction of Perl, and I went from there. I was fortunate to find a job at a startup doing a mix of front-end stuff and some Perl hacking, working under one of the ...
I've got Programmer's Block
ajuc: For me it helps, when I can see effects of my work right now.I write games in my free time, and I've noticed, that if I overenginer and have to write architectural code for too long, I abandon the project. The faster there is sth to play with, no matter how simple, the better.So I first write graphics code, so th...
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
silentbicycle: When I was 5 or 6, my parents got me a Commodore 64. It had some games, including some written in BASIC. I was always curious how things worked, and I wanted to make games, too. The library had a couple books about BASIC, and I learned enough to write text-adventure-ish games. Understanding the concept o...
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
mantas: I was gaming a LOT since I was ~5. Then I started playing with HTML when I was ~11 and naturally got into PHP and Javascript in a few years.During that time, I ruun few warez sites and a free hosting company (which was profitable!)
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
ericlavigne: I think you are very lucky to have heard about Lisp while you are just starting to get into programming. If I could send my younger self some advice, it would be the books you just mentioned. Also Felleisen's other books such as Little Schemer (shorter and more introductory than How to Design Programs) and...
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
geekles: I got started in grade school. We had a bunch of Apple IIc's and IIe's. We learned basic. I believe my first "real" program was a graphic of Spuds McKenzie, the Budweiser dog.I didn't do much serious programming until I was about 24, the place I worked, a convenience store, just got cash registers with scanner...
How did you get started in hacking/programming?
jim_lawless: In the late 70's while in my teens, I was interested in making video games. I had a TRS-80 and learned BASIC and then Z-80 assembly-language. I then bought a Commodore 64 and learned more languages while at a tech school. I became a programmer for banking software and never really got a game off the gro...