If they don't unveil a larger iPhone, I'm going to buy a Galaxy the second that conference is over. They've been so far behind the curve with respects to screen size -- almost every other major contender is shipping larger screens. The norm has changed.
I want to thank most of you for making this one of the funniest threads I've seen on HN.
Your theories as to why corporations and the people around us succumb to societal pressures pushing them to take on disingenuous facades of unfunny silliness for profit and attention are deeply profound -- April Fools!
Lesson learned: Don't upload a fun, story-telling presentation online for fear that a third-party may submit it to HN where you will likely be ridiculed not only for not applying scientific-study-level-rigor to every bullet point and image you've placed on your slides, but also for events of your past that are constructed from nothing more than tenuous inference and speculation.
You guys are a lovely and welcoming bunch. I'm sure YC, successful startups, and potential founders really desire rockstars like you who've got this wondrous natural ability for unnecessary criticism.
Agreed in that engagement and motivation are big issues. But time and time again I've witnessed physicians rushing through explanations of a patient's condition and management in a language far too sophisticated for a layman's understanding. I know that nurses typically walk through discharge instructions with a patient, so maybe my perspective is one-sided. Although I do think physicians should have a bigger role in educating and motivating patients by providing them with a thorough understanding of their conditions and medications.
This is absolutely fantastic. Patient education is one major and crucially important part of healthcare beyond hospital/clinic walls that is often overlooked because staff don't have time and don't 'dumb' things down enough for the average patient to understand. One thing that may be useful would be an online portal with videos/quizzes for patients to reference after discharge. Often times patients will express understanding of the education they receive only to, presumably, forget it all when they get home.
On a semi-related note, the use of iPads is an interesting channel, and one that's been long overdue. I'm surprised that no one (that I've seen yet) has started a company providing bedside iPad media services -- movies, games, messaging, etc. Outdated TVs running local cable still seem to be the standard form of inpatient entertainment.
Also great to see designers getting into healthcare! I'd love to help out any way I could.
What about reserving the pending system for stories on the front page where you typically get the bulk of low-quality comments? A user commenting on a 2-day-old front-paged thread is either contributing meaningfully or feeding a flamewar, so by automatically endorsing all comments on stories that have fallen off the front page, you allow the former to continue a meaningful discussion unhindered and you give the latter no incentive to continue a meaningless argument (no one is seeing it).
Also, from what I've noticed, the Ask HN posts tend to receive comments of higher quality since the questions/submissions there aren't as sensationalist or polarizing, yet that particular section of the site receives only a fraction of the attention that the front page gets, so implementing the pending system there might unnecessarily stifle discourse.
Quite a coincidence that I see this tonight. I was on the bus today and noticed someone playing a game on their phone, something simple where you have to trace over a pattern as closely as you can. It was frustrating to watch because every time the user wanted to repeat a level or move on to the next, they were forced to tap through a couple of intermediary screens with flashy stats that took up as much time to get through as playing a level. Contrast that to this game where starting over takes me 0.0 seconds. You jump right back into gameplay, forgetting all the frustration that came with messing up on your previous attempt. More games should take note.
Sure, there is a subset of science-oriented startups that don't require founders who fit that description, but for many of the industries listed in the article to be disrupted, you'd need doctors, lawyers, researchers, biotech engineers -- ie. seasoned experts who understand the intricacies and harsh realities of their fields -- and many of them would certainly fit my description. I'm assuming that the type of startups they're looking to fund include those that try to "fix" these industries, instead of building a product that sits on the periphery -- eg. a healthcare solution to help streamline the claims process vs. an app for patients to record bowel movements.
For those with enough karma, I'm curious to see what custom logos you've chosen to replace the Y. And for users who've been here for more than 8600* days, how frequently do you use the direct messaging feature?
*Edit: 2500 days. Read the wrong stat on my profile. So much for pulling a quick one...
Given that these more visionary, long-term, scientific startups will often require founders of a different demographic than what we're used to seeing (eg. older, more experienced in a given field, maybe with obligations like a spouse and kids), will you guys modify your approach to evaluating applications, more specifically the founding teams?
I feel like this is a big shift in focus for YC and for the industry if others follow suit. This will do a lot of good in changing the image of the typical startup, from who starts them to what their ambitions are, signaling to those in other industries that the valley isn't just about young code-slingers and iOS apps. I hope this encourages people in STEM with years of specialized domain experience to look at starting a company as a seriously viable option.
>> indoor, stale, sunlight less, copycat malls with the same awful pizza and Chinese chains and the same terrible jewelry stores.
What a depressing yet accurate description. Growing up in California suburbia, spending time with friends or family at the (Brea, Santa Ana) malls was always mind numbing. Those places had no life or character. Others didn't seem as bothered, and I've chalked that up to my mood being more influenced by my surroundings than most. Even today I find my mood and productivity drastically affected by the age, quality, design, openness, brightness, etc of my work environment.
I've always preferred being taught with a white/chalkboard. Being able to follow the professor's every thought, trying to keep 1 step ahead of them by guessing a solution before it's written out, seeing them make and correct mistakes in realtime, just being witness to that semi-stream of consciousness, has proven to be the most effective way for me to learn. Flipping slide-to-slide and having bucket after bucket of information splashed out on the screen, perfectly planned and coordinated, makes you a spectator more than a participant. And preparing slides ahead of time also results in a professor's tendency to put way more information into a lesson than necessary. This may apply more to science courses than liberal arts, though.
I've joked around with this idea before, except I called it Püber.
In all seriousness, this is an issue I deal with frequently in NYC. I'm out and about in Manhattan all day, get struck by the need to pee, and then run around trying to find any place with a restroom. Paying a buck or two would be a negligible cost if it meant immediate relief.
If they expanded and got enough supply, I'd definitely use their service.
An overall well-balanced article, but I find it hard to believe that Jessica meant anything more regarding non-technical founders than someone having to carry their weight by taking care of the majority of non-technical tasks in a startup whose product is likely wholly technical. I've heard male non-technical founders recount memories of making coffee for coders to keep them happy. If anything, she gave a more accurate depiction of the role than someone who calls themselves the business or product guy.
You're talking about EMTALA, which is an act that prohibits turning away uninsured patients away who are in need of emergent care. Once the patient is stabilized and either discharged or admitted, they are subject to payments.
The patient with metastatic cancer who needs chemoradiation on an outpatient basis must pay for his/her care.
This is the difference between someone reading that you do weird sexual things with your partner and having pictures to prove it. Blackmailing someone with a still webcam image of them engaging in an act would be a lot more effective than with an SMS text description. This is a big deal.
Clearest, most concise and level-headed summary of the whole ordeal. This comment is what I'll be linking to people who ask me to explain what's happened.
The possibility of them being acquired is discussed quite a bit, but of what value is Gox to a potential acquirer at this point, considering they've indeed hemorrhaged money? What remaining assets or loyal customer base would make it worth millions of new capital?