News for hackers. Stuff that matters.

fern12

fern12 on Hacker News

Re:Ask HN: How do you sell to governments and large organizations? on Wednesday July 18, 2018 @11:02PM (#17563670)
If going the small business route:

-Make sure you qualify as a “small business” under SBA regulations

-Make sure you have the necessary accounts (DUNS number & CAGE code) to accept Purchase Orders and be awarded a government contract. https://www.sam.gov/portal/SAM/#1#1

-For instances in which the agency may pay you via credit card, make sure that you have some way of accepting credit card payments that does NOT use a third-party intermediary like PayPal.

Re:Why don't Google/Facebook/apple setup satellite campuses around San... on Tuesday June 26, 2018 @02:08AM (#17398261)
Isn't this what Google's trying to do in downtown San Jose?

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?mid=1Q8JPbI1GRBRztAAI1i...

Re:Patents: how and why to get them on Sunday June 03, 2018 @04:03AM (#17218478)
>When you submit a patent application, it becomes public forever, even if it's rejected. You will have paid legal fees with the end result of granting competitors access to your ideas.

Not entirely true. If you don't want an application to publish, there are options available. Under certain circumstances (i.e., you are 100% certain that you do not want to file for foreign patent protection in other countries), you can file with a non-publication request, and the application will not become public until it proceeds to issuance as a patent.

If it never proceeds to issuance as a patent, then filing it with a non-pub request will at least make it harder to find. It will then only become publicly available (in this case, in the USPTO's Public PAIR database) if it's referenced as a priority app in another published application or issued patent.

If it's abandoned and never referred to again in any application, then you have to file a petition to gain access to the file wrapper contents.

Re:Evidence of regulatory capture of patent examiners on Tuesday May 29, 2018 @04:00PM (#17182474)
True. But occasionally, it does happen.

https://www.ipethicslaw.com/pto-suspends-ptab-atty-who-filed...

Re:Evidence of regulatory capture of patent examiners on Tuesday May 29, 2018 @03:42AM (#17177166)
>I'll bet it's pretty easy for two companies to make a deal to pay bonuses to each other's employees when patents are granted.

With regard to the moonlighting patent examiners, I'm fairly certain this is illegal. See MPEP 309 and MPEP 1702.

https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s309.html#d0e1919... https://www.uspto.gov/web/offices/pac/mpep/s1702.html

Re:Ask HN: How did you browse the internet before aggregators and soci... on Tuesday April 03, 2018 @11:08PM (#16751559)
My favorites were VersionTracker and the MacAddict forums. A lot of the comments here on HN remind me of the MA forums, which is great.
Re:California’s quality of life is the worst in the country? on Sunday March 25, 2018 @01:14AM (#16670873)
That's an interesting point about social environment and engagement. As a native Californian, I struggled socially when I was living in the DC metro area for 5 years. Simply put, it was the weather. If there was rain (which was nothing like the light sprinkle I was used to) or a slight dusting of snow, I did not want to go out. I slipped on icy sidewalks (breaking my tailbone); got regularly drenched while walking to the metro; and had my fair share of heart-stopping moments driving in inclement weather. As someone who's already introverted, it became very easy for me to just hole up in my apartment.
Re:Ask HN: Apartment hunting in Mountain View on Thursday March 15, 2018 @11:42PM (#16598454)
Have you considered looking at room rentals on Craigslist? If you're within walking distance of Castro (downtown), you may not even be at home that much, because you'll be steps away from the library, coffee shops, restaurants, etc. In a way, I think shared living can often be a form of networking, because so many people here work in tech.

I mention it only because in my experience, cheap studio rentals in MV are not worth the paper their leases are printed upon. They have thin walls, which are my biggest pet peeve. When you can hear everything your neighbors are doing (or conversely, have to walk around on tip toes to avoid irritating them), any privacy-related benefit of having your own place kinda goes out the window. Again, that's just my experience. When I first moved to MV in early 2016, I rented a studio for $1900 (a decision I ultimately regretted because of noisy neighbors/thin walls). In hindsight, I wish I'd just rented a room in a house from someone with a personality similar to mine (quiet introvert). Good luck with your search:)

Re:Ask HN: Apartment hunting in Mountain View on Thursday March 15, 2018 @03:13PM (#16595707)
What is your price range? Will you have a car? Where is your employer located? Do you prefer newer construction, or are you OK with older, garden-style units? Any "must-haves"? (i.e., in-unit washer-dryer)

Sorry, to pepper you with questions. I live in the area, and am very picky about where I live. These are all factors I considered when looking for an apartment.

Re:A voice in the dark (2017) on Wednesday March 14, 2018 @02:49AM (#16582833)
Agreed. I used to watch reruns of Law & Order. Hearing the beginning intro would remind me of a time when life was less complicated, and the plot was engaging enough to distract and lull me into sleep. Sadly, Netflix removed it, so I now rely on podcasts.

Older »