Hacker News Reader

throwaway2041on Background checks pay for Checkr, which just raised $100M

Why? From the company's perspective it makes sense to ask if an applicant has a criminal record. Statistically someone with a prior conviction is much more likely to commit a future crime

throwaway2041on Escape the echo chamber

His proper title is "Crypto Genius James Altucher"

throwaway2041on Home Values Are Rising by $800 a Day in San Jose

I mostly agree and would argue it's due to the slow erosion of the middle / consumer class. Advertising-based businesses slowing down might be a leading indicator of a bigger macro trend: the reversion back to pre-WW2 levels of inequality :-/

throwaway2041on Study shows salaries of young women 8% higher than men in peer group (2010)

Sadly this same article would be unlikely to be published by Time in 2018.

throwaway2041on Stock and Bond Markets Dethroned: Private Fundraising Is Now Dominant

No, but more folks in the middle class might be able to remain in the middle class if their modest portfolios had access to high-growth companies, ideally through index funds rather than individually-picked stocks

throwaway2041on Blueprint of a distributed social network on IPFS, and its problems

That's not a terrible idea. You might also give some users free access if they're net-beneficial to the network

throwaway2041on The Key to Good Luck Is an Open Mind

Chatting up a stranger is not 'borderline harassment'. Harassment is harassment. There's a correct way to approach someone in a non-threatening manner, and more men should take the time to learn how to respectfully strike up conversation with strangers (in both romantic and non-romantic contexts)

Given the cultural norms around dating require men to initiate the conversation 95%+ of the time, there's a real risk of demonizing men's efforts to initiate conversation. If nobody approaches, then a lot of great connections never get formed.

throwaway2041on The Billionaires vs. BrandonM

Someone said this in the congratulations thread, but I think the salient point is that BrandonM's comment was upvoted highly, not that it was particularly offensive.

Hacker News has a strong negativity bias. Most of the time the top voted comment is a snarky takedown of the post. Especially in the earliest days of startups, its far better to be a cheerleader on the outside than a cynic (unless the startup is unethical). It's just so hard to build successful companies, and so easy to dismiss things at that early stage.

And yes, I know this very comment is deeply ironic in a way

edit: thanks for down-voting me OP!

throwaway2041on Zuckerberg Takes Steps to Calm Facebook Employees

Correct. There are many stats relevant to the national discussion that a patriotic Facebook employee might leak. One is the effective CPM (eCPM) rate between the Trump and Clinton campaigns. My hunch is there was a massive disparity there, in favor of Trump. Facebook has only released the "paid CPM" rates, which is suspicious. Most Facebook advertisers look at eCPM, which combines paid + "organic" reach, in other words: the net reach per dollar spent.