Hacker News Reader

df3on What share to give the first employee?

It's hard to give a recommendation without knowing your location and other specifics. I would first talk to the employee and see if she prefers more salary or more equity.

Buffer uses their own formula for calculating salary and equity: https://open.buffer.com/buffer-open-equity-formula/

df3on Scotland to seek second independence referendum

Couldn't a speedy entry process be negotiated?

My guess though is that the EU won't be keen on the UK splitting up and thus won't encourage it by providing Scotland a quick ascension.

This is also a wonderful bargaining chip for the EU to play against Theresa May in negotiating the terms of the UK's exit.

df3on Canadian Parliament approves bill barring forced genetic testing for insurance

Liberal backbenchers have defied Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, voting in favour of a bill that would bar health and life insurance companies from forcing clients to disclose the results of genetic testing.

My understanding is that only forced genetic testing is barred, so a Canadian insurance company could let people disclose good genetics for a discount, I presume?

Everyone should have equal access to healthcare. As far as life insurance is concerned, why can't life insurance providers discriminate on the basis of genetics? They already discriminate on the basis of family medical history.

df3on SoundCloud needs more money, or it may sell at a firesale price

SoundCloud is great but I never saw how they could effectively monetize the platform.

df3on Ask HN: How can you keep a non-evil company on track?

You might want to look into creating a benefit corporation, which is essentially a for-profit entity with goals beyond maximizing shareholder value: http://benefitcorp.net/faq

In terms of making sure the company stays true to your purpose, that's what board seats and voting shares are for. Beyond that part of entrepreneurship, and working with others in general, is accepting that we won't always get what we want. You might have to accept that your company at some point focuses more on profit than you'd prefer.

df3on Ask HN: How do you set prices?

Working with a PhD student to do economic analysis is overkill for an early stage startup.

I would use the methods outlined by other commenters to create a set of potential price points. Pick the highest one and revise downward (or upward) as needed.

If you're solving a real pain point, there's a set of early adopters who will pay a high price for your solution. If this isn't true then I would examine product / market fit.

Mistakes to avoid:

1. Doing a "name your price" promotion.

2. Thinking you've found the golden ticket of pricing and sticking with it. Pricing should be scrutinized early and often.

3. Charging too little. At least some users and reviewers of your product should be commenting that perhaps your pricing is too high. You're charging too little if no one is complaining about pricing. Of course, you've charged too much if everyone complains.

Finally, how you present the value of your product is perhaps more important than the pricing. See here: https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748704240004575085...

df3on Eating less and more than needed on alternate days prolongs life (2006)

Thanks for this encouraging reply!

df3on The Disappearing Mass Housing of the Soviet Union

There are a lot of housing blocks just like this across the USSR. I've visited a number of them in former East Berlin (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plattenbau). They aren't pretty on the outside, but some have been modernized into higher-end apartments on the inside.

As for the units that haven't been modernized, they're still better quality housing than what you find in lower income neighborhoods in the United States. I wouldn't be thrilled to live in one, but it wouldn't be the end of the world.

df3on Digital Privacy at the U.S Border: A New How-To Guide from EFF

I travel frequently enough internationally that I need to bring my devices with me. If ICE (not TSA) asked me to log into my computer or phone, I would say no and accept the risk that they confiscate my encrypted devices.

The likelihood of ICE asking me to log into my devices and confiscating them is quite low. The inconvenience of using burner devices is quite high.

This of course assumes that the government is unwilling or unable to defeat your encryption.

df3on Digital Privacy at the U.S Border: A New How-To Guide from EFF

I think the best advice in the guide is what not to do. Be polite and most importantly, don't lie. Many people may not know that even an innocuous lie to a border agent is a federal crime.

df3on Digital Privacy at the U.S Border: A New How-To Guide from EFF

For US citizens, encrypting your device, backing up with cloud storage, and accepting that your device may be seized if you don't provide passwords at the border sounds like the most usable (albeit imperfect) solution.

I'm not too concerned about my personal data at the moment. I interact with many non-citizens on a regular basis, and I am concerned that a misinterpreted Facebook message or email could land them in hot water.

It's not just ourselves we're protecting, but also our friends, family and colleagues.

df3on Valuation Shell Game: the 409A valuation

I would imagine that it could also be bundled in with the other legal and tax services a growing startup requires?

df3on Eating less and more than needed on alternate days prolongs life (2006)

All of the participants in this study were over the age of 65. I'm curious what the effects of fasting would be for someone younger? I'm 26 and want to do everything I can to improve my lifespan. Most longevity research seems to target older generations.

Do I have to starve myself now or is there an age where the benefits really start to kick in?

df3on Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

Thanks for sharing! I also lived in Berlin for four years and was impressed with how easy healthcare was.

df3on Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

There are a lot of very poor communities in Vermont, though I doubt Vermont is poor by median household income. I don't have the numbers in front of me but in terms of corporate tax base, Vermont is probably quite poor compared to NY or CA.

Ben and Jerry's can only foot so much of the tax bill.

df3on Healthy California Act: proposal to make findings about single-payer healthcare

A well-executed single-payer system would make California even more attractive for entrepreneurship and increase labor mobility for everyone. Life would be much easier if we could start companies or switch jobs without worrying about healthcare.

df3on The Dark Web Is Disappearing

I'm not intimately familiar with the dark net, but I have trouble believing the article's assertion that the dark web is disappearing because it is difficult to use and that uptime has decreased.

The dark web has always been difficult to use for an average computer owner. Even with increased difficulty of use there is still a real need for people to use it, and they will continue to do so.

Regarding uptime, does it really matter if a dark web site has 99.9% uptime or 80% up-time? Whistleblowers, and drug buyers just need to be able to access it on an occasional basis. I'm pretty sure that neighborhood drug dealers don't have good uptime, either.

df3on To fix L.A.'s traffic, we need tolls

Good point, but keep in mind that New York's subway is old and antiquated. Inefficient connections, overcrowded lines, and a lack of maintenance are a major part of longer commute times.

Also remember that New York is a set of islands. This already puts it at an efficiency disadvantage.

Berlin and Munich are two cities that come to mind with excellent public transport and great commute times. Most people commute in less than 30 minutes even from less central areas.

df3on To fix L.A.'s traffic, we need tolls

Better public transportation is part of the answer, but as another commenter pointed out, even in cities with decent subway systems commute times can be up to an hour.

The ideal solution would be encourage commercial and residential areas to intermingle. In particular, less restrictive zoning in residential areas could let companies locate themselves closer to workers.

df3on [dead]

I'm only able to find one mention of sleep masks in the linked study:

>In contrast, other practical solutions, such as sending >“sleep kits” containing an eye >mask or earplugs and other supplies to servicemembers in >deployed settings may represent >more practical and feasible strategies to encourage healthy >sleep behaviors

I wouldn't call this "military-approved," though I use a sleep mask every night.

df3on International Entrepreneur Rule

In this situation the parole is probably in the context of deportation proceedings.

df3on Want to Build a Side Business? Just Buy Great Domain Name

People click strong and authoritative names. Generic domains often are strong and authoritative, but they aren't the only example of strong and authoritative names. I think your article misses this point.

One thing I would mention is that many people know that names like "BikeTours.com" were the first to be registered in the early Internet days, and these days do carry a degree of trust through age.

df3on Show HN: Larry Wildman – Send free, anonymous postcards to horrible bosses

I agree 100%. Having a bad boss in college is what motivated me to start up my own company. I had drinks with one of my former coworkers recently and she told me that he was new and also had a terrible boss who didn't emphasize leadership.

He's apparently a much better manager now. I can imagine that he was also incredibly stressed and unhappy in retrospect, and I can only imagine that sending this card would have had a ripple-effect of passive-aggressiveness on the team.

Even if you think someone is going out of their way to make your life shitty, you don't know what other baggage they're carrying for the day. The best thing you can do is be nice and in the meantime, look for another job or try to positively create change.

df3on Online CBT is no more effective than usual GP care for depression

The study did not seem to separate the results of those who completed online CBT from the majority who did not.

An interesting excerpt: "Take-up of computerised CBT was low, despite regular calls to encourage participants to use the programmes. The median number of sessions completed was two out of eight for Beating the Blues and one out of six for MoodGYM. Only 18% of people who started Beating the Blues completed all modules and 16% for MoodGYM."

Online CBT definitely is not effective if patients don't complete it despite receiving phone calls. I can imagine that getting the motivation to log in and do it is really difficult when you're already feeling hopeless-- even not-depressed people have enough trouble building and sticking to habits as it is.

But I still wonder if online CBT was effective for the small portion of participants who did complete it? What were the characteristics of those who did complete the app? Perhaps we can learn something.

CBT app builders should also consider that self-care options for depression have existed for a long time in the form of books. Can an app do a substantially better job than books? The idea of solving medical issues remotely has been tried for decades.

df3on Emirates Has Invested $500M to Build a 'Fort Knox' of Wine

All of my KLM flights have been a great experience. Very friendly staff, awesome service, and free drinks.

After doing a lot of flying the last two years I've realized what a difference a friendly crew makes.

df3on Organ donation becomes opt-out in France

Many will benefit from this change, but France should not force anyone to opt into what is a very personal and emotional decision. The government should not tell you what to do with your body even after death.

The online opt-out registry and opt-out form options will give people a chance to express their wishes to avoid donation. However, there will be a sizable portion of the population who do not fill these out due to ignorance, especially in the less advantaged fringes of society. What is the government going to do to make sure everyone knows about the change and the ability to opt-out?

df3on The Busy Person’s Lies

The article's scope was only higher earning families. Of course the facial expressions were sad-- no one likes tax increases, merited or not.

The artist isn't implying that the increases are unfair, but is simply depicting the effects of the cuts.

I personally wouldn't be so upset if I were the woman.

df3on Why Volkswagen TDI Owners Are Pissed About the Dieselgate Buyback Process

This is pretty typical German customer service.

df3on Unsplash – Beautiful photos free to use under the Unsplash License

Unsplash is a great resource.

It's important to point out that "free" and "royalty-free" aren't the same thing. Unsplash images are actually in the public domain, whereas "royalty-free" is a license type where an image can be used multiple times for one payment.

df3on How a Gift from Schoolchildren Let the Soviets Spy on the U.S. For 7 Years

>As he did this, the signal cut out. Bezjian realized that the bug wasn’t in the wall but in the seal, and took his hammer to the Soviets’ gift.

I wonder if it would have made more sense to leave the device unharmed and take advantage of it to plant false intelligence on the Soviets?