Questions • Hacker News Board

Re: Questions

#291

Post by singularity2001 » Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 5:08 PM UTC

unixhero wrote: post #47

chucky wrote: post #35

> Why are there so many successful startups in Stockholm? Several reasons. First, you need to recognize that any Sweden-based startup will, when it gets to be known internationally, have a Stockholm-based office. So it's not about a city of 1 million inhabitants, it's a country of 10 million that's the true number here. As an example, I believe Spotify opened their original offices in both Stockholm and Göteborg more…

Good observations! You forgot one major thing. This goes for all of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The winter is horribly dark and boring. (Unless you're super rich). Therefore most turn inwards, staying indoors, thinking deeply at problems, spending endless afternoons and nights on things. Be it software development, game development, car tuning, car engine work, engineering, knitting or just reading loads of…

> Quality of life was insanely better there

Just because of sun? Did you try UV?

Re: Questions

#292

Post by singularity2001 » Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 5:09 PM UTC

unixhero wrote: post #47

chucky wrote: post #35

> Why are there so many successful startups in Stockholm? Several reasons. First, you need to recognize that any Sweden-based startup will, when it gets to be known internationally, have a Stockholm-based office. So it's not about a city of 1 million inhabitants, it's a country of 10 million that's the true number here. As an example, I believe Spotify opened their original offices in both Stockholm and Göteborg more…

Good observations! You forgot one major thing. This goes for all of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The winter is horribly dark and boring. (Unless you're super rich). Therefore most turn inwards, staying indoors, thinking deeply at problems, spending endless afternoons and nights on things. Be it software development, game development, car tuning, car engine work, engineering, knitting or just reading loads of…

One counterargument against that indoor scenario would be The Valley™. Unless you consider fog.

Re: Questions

#293

Post by raldi » Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 5:11 PM UTC

erikpukinskis wrote: post #289

raldi wrote: post #242

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Do you believe we should make the national speed limit 25? If not, you're accepting that people will die needlessly, and that the value of a human life is not, in fact, infinite.

Has this been tried? I would expect more speeding and maybe even more fatalities.

Not if there were an ironclad law that cars have to be manufacturered to be physically incapable of exceeding that speed.

Re: Questions

#294

Post by jjeaff » Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 5:11 PM UTC

unixhero wrote: post #47

chucky wrote: post #35

> Why are there so many successful startups in Stockholm? Several reasons. First, you need to recognize that any Sweden-based startup will, when it gets to be known internationally, have a Stockholm-based office. So it's not about a city of 1 million inhabitants, it's a country of 10 million that's the true number here. As an example, I believe Spotify opened their original offices in both Stockholm and Göteborg more…

Good observations! You forgot one major thing. This goes for all of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The winter is horribly dark and boring. (Unless you're super rich). Therefore most turn inwards, staying indoors, thinking deeply at problems, spending endless afternoons and nights on things. Be it software development, game development, car tuning, car engine work, engineering, knitting or just reading loads of…

The other major thing (and I would argue more important than the others) is Sweden's wealth and social safety net.

Wealth is one of the most important factors for someone to found a startup. You aren't going out and starting a company if you have to work 80 plus hours a week to live.

Just look at the clueless opinions of so many tech founders about how "you shouldn't pay yourself a salary at first after you take investment money". Oh really? So we should just buy groceries and pay rent from the trust fund mommy and daddy gave us?

Re: Questions

#295

Post by dodobirdlord » Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 5:12 PM UTC

csomar wrote: post #9

> Why is US GDP growth so weirdly constant? This is something I noticed too. And it can't be just blamed to "inflation" of the US GDP. Almost any other country I checked does have fluctuations. Goes through booms and bust. China has gone through an exponential rise but slowed down and seems like it broke the pattern recently. The US is the only country so far that has been going decades through a constant rate of cha…

The Federal Reserve is extremely good at restraining booms and preventing busts to stabilize the business cycle.

Re: Questions

#296

Post by singularity2001 » Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 5:12 PM UTC

seanmcdirmid wrote: post #240

unixhero wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Good observations! You forgot one major thing. This goes for all of Finland, Sweden, Norway and Denmark. The winter is horribly dark and boring. (Unless you're super rich). Therefore most turn inwards, staying indoors, thinking deeply at problems, spending endless afternoons and nights on things. Be it software development, game development, car tuning, car engine work, engineering, knitting or just reading loads of…

The same is basically true with Seattle. Well, not so dark (the sun is out til 4:30), winters are quite mild, but wet enough to keep everyone focused.

the most boring weather is reflected in the most boring software

Re: Questions

#297

Post by petra » Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 5:12 PM UTC

panic wrote: post #8

> What's the successor to the book? And how could books be improved? > Books are great (unless you're Socrates). We now have magic ink. As an artifact for effecting the transmission of knowledge (rather than a source of entertainment), how can the book be improved? How can we help authors understand how well their work is doing in practice? (Which parts are readers confused by or stumbling over or skipping?) How can…

>> > What's the successor to the book? And how could books be improved?

First, what's the purpose of books ?

There's entertainment of course. But let's focus on books that teach. Their purpose is to let you access some knowledge, in a deep way.

On the other hand, computer systems are starting to fill that role, and the level of depth they can achieve is growing - on a good day, with the right query, Google may give you access to Amazing content, content that may help you connect different concepts - based on your past searches - just like your brain does.

Another option is if it was easy for a book author to package her knowledge in a smart chatbot or maybe an expert system, and we will have hundreds of such advisors advising us, or just interactively chatting with us,correcting our mistakes, that would be an interesting replacement to the book.

Re: Questions

#298

Post by raldi » Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 5:13 PM UTC

allannienhuis wrote: post #272

_ea1k wrote: post #256

Earlier quoted context omitted.

lol, I hear people frame the self driving car discussion that way regularly, but it is just wrong. Noone is going to be making human driven vehicles illegal. They may be more like classic cars than regular vehicles at some point, though.

I wouldn't be surprised to see an increasing number of (express-type) roads or perhaps dedicated lanes where human drivers were not allowed on though, after self-driving capabilities become the norm. (yes I realise that's an assumption). I think people underestimate the cultural impact that self-driving vehicles will have - imagine a whole generation or two after self-driving vehicles are generally available - how ma…

First it will be like knowing how to drive a stick-shift. Then it'll be like owning a sports car. Then it'll be like owning a horse or a boat.

Re: Questions

#299

Post by bnt » Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 5:13 PM UTC

petra wrote: post #112

elorant wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Israel doesn't have long dark winters and yet they're the pioneers of innovation and start-up culture.

I'm an Israeli and it comes from a few factors: 1. Israelis basically have no choice. If you want to make a good income, working hard in a technology startup(we have very few big tech companies) is one of the very few good options. 2. The army: at a very young age,a decent percentage of Israelis who join the army lead, in high value, high risk situations. That creates a sense of responsibility and strong ambition at…

Jews were forced into banking, because they were forbidden to do agriculture or cattle back in Europe. Banking was considered dirty, so Christians didn't want to do it. Jews did what they were allowed - banking, philosophy, medicine, science - and they became masters of the craft.

Re: Questions

#300

Post by jcoffland » Sun, Sep 30, 2018, 5:17 PM UTC

erikpukinskis wrote: post #281

jalfresi wrote: post #265

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I think this is a cowardly and inaccurate belief" Throughout history you find the people who believe this are not the ones who's safety is sacrificed in pursuit of some grand project...

You’re assuming a lot. I’m assuming your OP thinks “better safe than sorry” is stupid because it doesn’t actually help you make decisions. I would much rather drive on a bridge of someone whose motto is “do it right.” This isn’t the Apollo program. We know how to make safe bridges. It’s not a matter of being cautious and talking to every stakeholder. It’s a matter of hiring actual engineers,* letting them work, belie…

> The word engineer has I guess been made meaningless by thousands of people writing code and calling it “engineering”.

A friend of mine was just hired as a project engineer at a construction company. He was confused since he has no engineering experience. Turns out, at this company, it means you are training to be a project manager.