pmikal's comments

pmikal | 12 years ago | on: Bitcoin Ponzi scheme

Website shows they've shut it down.

"The experiment is over. We will pay back everyone we can. We are not making money from this."

pmikal | 14 years ago | on: Startup Ideas We'd Be Willing To Pay For

It'd likely cause a more dangerous condition as the jammed drivers would be fussing with their phones trying to figure out what happened to their signal.

pmikal | 14 years ago | on: Stripe: instant payment processing for developers

Most merchant acquirers, as well as the US Government, will interpret sections 312 and 326 of the US Patriot Act to require a Social Security Number to positively identify a merchant application and to check the applicant against various financial crimes and terrorist lists. This essentially prohibits non-US companies. There are some exceptions, but this is generally the rule.

Many of the card acceptance solutions that do not require this information are not actually issuing merchant accounts or are otherwise performing what is known as aggregration or is opening a merchant account on your behalf that they own. Some are also issuing merchant accounts in non-US banks. Others are in violation of US law.

pmikal | 14 years ago | on: Beware of Asshole VCs

You can find this type of candid commentary here: http://www.thefunded.com/

pmikal | 14 years ago | on: IE team sends a cupcake for FireFox 5

IE team loves to poke shots at other browsers. Anyone remember the giant E placed on the lawn of Netscape's office in Mountain View? I think it was ~1997. They then dominated the browser market for the next few years.

pmikal | 15 years ago | on: Colourlovers Raises $1 Million To Make Everyone An Artist

Kuler has been around since November of 2006 if I remember correctly....

pmikal | 15 years ago | on: Colourlovers Raises $1 Million To Make Everyone An Artist

So quickly people forget Adobe's free Kuler:

http://kuler.adobe.com

pmikal | 15 years ago | on: Mark Bao tracks down his stolen laptop and has the last laugh

I tracked down a stolen laptop using Prey (http://preyproject.com/) and Live Mesh's remote desktop. Upon having the laptop stolen, Prey notified my it was online. I remote connected, installed a keylogger and used that along with Prey's camera images to identify the thief and have the person arrested.

pmikal | 15 years ago | on: And suddenly, you're hip

Hip or un-hip, ChargeSmart loves perl - developers looking for work at a San Francisco based funded payments start-up should email me their details, pmikal [at] ChargeSmart.com.

pmikal | 15 years ago | on: Online privacy: what’s at stake

Privacy is the new sharing.

pmikal | 15 years ago | on: What Do You Lack? Probably Vitamin D

Vitamin D deficiency is the most common medical condition in the world. A majority of persons that live above the 33rd parallel north, San Francisco for example, are deficient.

If you are at all interested, a must read is The Vitamin D Solution.

pmikal | 15 years ago | on: Ask HN: My friend's computer was stolen, and I might have the IP address.

I recently recovered a laptop because I had installed Prey on it (http://preyproject.com/). It's free, sends you the IP, a webcam snap, desktop grab and attempts a geo-location.

I also always install Microsoft's Live Mesh on my machines, which is helpful for remote login if one has gone missing. Free. (https://www.mesh.com/)

pmikal | 16 years ago | on: Save My Life - help a fellow HN'er

Mostly for people who already know what they have, not really diagnostic or symptom based.

There is some interesting talks from one of the founders on Stanford's EC Corner:

http://ecorner.stanford.edu/authorMaterialInfo.html?author=2...

pmikal | 16 years ago | on: Save My Life - help a fellow HN'er

I love this idea. Send me a message.

pmikal | 16 years ago | on: Ask HN: Would you sell your future earnings for cash today?

So if I offered you 1 million for 3% of your future earnings, you wouldn't at all be tempted? What if the 1 million is tax free, cash in your account today?

pmikal | 16 years ago | on: How Privacy Vanishes Online, a Bit at a Time

Privacy is the new sharing.

pmikal | 16 years ago | on: A challenge, identify this HN user, I tried twice and failed

Privacy is the new sharing.

pmikal | 16 years ago | on: Alex Payne, a Twitter engineer, is shutting down his personal blog

I shut down my blog Jan 1. Privacy is the new sharing.

pmikal | 16 years ago | on: VCs that use checklists are more effective

Would be great if you shared the "Idea Sieve"!

pmikal | 16 years ago | on: Self-educated People Who've Made a Difference

Wanted: CEO, no Ivy required http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-04-06-cover-ceos_x....

...seems like a bachelor's degree is a requirement for big company management.