jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Ask HN: OK to use the word "bullshit" in our company tagline?
It depends, does the risk of offending potential users outweigh the gain? Or do you think you'll get more users with a more radical marketing approach? If you guys like it that much I would A/B test it and see what works.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Ask HN: How do I short a stock?
How does that work? I thought most investors who get access to an IPO are usually obliged to hold on to their shares for at least 30 days. I'm guessing there are ways around this but only at your own risk as it will probably be the last IPO you're invited into.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Ask HN: Technical skills needed for any Google interview/job?
You best bet would be the job description for the job you're applying for. You could also check out glassdoor.com to see what previous interviewers have encountered.
jranck
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15 years ago
You could downvote the submissions but I think the main benefit of HN is in the discussion and commentary. I personally read the comments before I click on a story because I like to have a frame of reference when choosing to read an article. I don't think a post should be ranked on its upvotes but on its number of comments and range of discussion.
I should also add that just because a submission is bad doesn't mean the discussion under it isn't worthwhile.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Why Instapaper Free is taking an extended vacation
I think what is happening is there's a threshold for successful applications. Every application and website has a vetting period where momentum and marketing can advance to certain levels where a reputation is attained. This is where Instapaper is right now. Marco wouldn't have the audience he has now if it wasn't a free service to begin with. Now that the service has a reputation and a successful following you are allowed to charge a premium.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Why Instapaper Free is taking an extended vacation
I applaud the fact that a developer can charge for his time and effort into building a good product. While I love hearing about these success stories, lets not forget the fact that all applications are different. There is an inherit and perceived value for everything and it's all dependent on the audience. The ROI per user is different for everyone, what works for you may not work for someone else. Marco's audience is made up of mostly tech savvy individuals where the implied value is greater than the cost of the service. This isn't the exception to the rule but it isn't the typical audience that a lot of startups are trying to capture. Every audience and product is different and take inspiration with a grain of salt. With that being said nice work Marco.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Ask HN: What do you read every day?
Some staples for me are:
Techcrunch
Mashable
Lifehacker
Signal vs. Noise (37 signals)
Smashing Magazine's Network
A VC (Fred Wilson)
Reddit
Drudge Report
NY Times
ESPN or, shameless plug, my site fanreader.com
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Ask HN: Email Service Provider For Web Apps
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Portland Seed Fund seeks inspiration from Y Combinator grads
Good question, does anyone know if they're using public funds as a loan instrument or are they taking equity in these companies?
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Portland Seed Fund seeks inspiration from Y Combinator grads
I have to disagree here both Oregon and Oregon State are underrated universities. I'm a bit biased towards Oregon State as I graduated from there but their Engineering and Science colleges do a fantastic job.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: How we almost didn’t raise $800K in the worst investment market in years
This is very informative, kudos to you guys for sharing. How did you guys set your goals as far as how much to raise and the amount of equity you were willing to give up? What did having the extra investment mean for you guys starting out?
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: The Complete Guide for Starting iPhone and iOS Development
What works for you may or may not work for someone else. I don't think I'm alone when I say that more quality resources on a subject is never a bad thing.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Show HN: Readability-like API Using Machine Learning
This looks great. I'd love to find out more about your API and what type of web scraping techniques you're using. It looks like this is going to be available publicly to developers? What type of usage do you guys allow?
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Are America's Best Days Behind Us?
While I think this article raises some interesting points on the future of America, as a hacker with entrepreneurial aspirations I have some reservations. With all of the innovation and opportunities brought up and discussed on HN what do you all think?
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Ask HN: Feeling Sick
I think the key here is set some short-term goals. Although it's important to have some long-term, you need to get the ball rolling. Set some short-term/easily attainable goals that way you'll have some successes to build off of.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Show/Ask HN: My side project for over a year; should I take it on full time?
Use the traction you've already got in the productivity category with this app to tackle other problems in that area. Be the next 37signals of the Android marketplace.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: I'm 15. I just got covered on Mashable and TNW
Congratulations on getting some nice media coverage. How is this different from Formspring or the hundreds of other annoying quiz apps on Facebook?
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Introducing AWS CloudFormation
These guys are on a roll. Makes me debate switching from Rackspace Cloud. They've got some catching up to do.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: Why I stopped travelling to the US and largely stopped doing business in the US
"He who sacrifices freedom for security deserves neither."
Unfortunately I don't see this changing any time soon with the TSA unionizing.
jranck
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15 years ago
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on: I'm a designer who learned Django and launched her first webapp in 6 weeks
Check out djangobook.com its online and free to everyone. It will give you a good understanding of the fundamentals as well as a few advanced topics. Other than that the best advice I could give you is to jump in feet first and don't look back.
