memnips

Somewhat ironic question, but as ETFs holdings of BTC continue to grow, is there a possibility that the custodians of those ETFs start to have a backup plan for ETF holders or create an alliance to push a fork forward? The management fee those companies generate is non-trivial, so they're incentivized to stay ahead of this.

Now, of course, the irony here would be traditional finance infrastructure winning out over decentralized, which could definitely deal a psychological blow to BTC's perceived value... but it's something I've been thinking about lately as this existential threat rises on the horizon.

What I find impressive is that he somehow managed to renovate this property for only $2.7M?! Including 350 helicopter trips over two days!

Serious question: why is it hard to make small, anti-drone missiles? I assume it needs to only be within X distance of target and detonate to disable a drone.

And it's also called "Autopilot" which sets an extremely different tone and expectation than other driver-assistance/safety technologies.

Can you share some of the design houses you are recommending or are aware of? Thanks!

Relevant Money Stuff on the subject: https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-01-17/snap-vote...

BUT what about the psychological value of _feeling_ like you're getting a deal, even if you aren't actually getting one?

E.g. People from this research actually experience more pleasure when they believe a wine is expensive: http://time.com/money/3846874/expensive-price-tag-cheap-wine...

> “Expectations truly influence neurobiological responses,” write the authors.

You lose a lot more than just fiber in the juicing process: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/juicing-removes-more-than-ju...

Once I connected my calendar I actually had trouble distinguishing my real meetings from the decoy meetings. Impressive and frightening.

I'm surprised by the design of "her" avatar and the site. To me, the digital artifacts give it a slightly frightening and negative feel. Am I alone?

It almost feels as though the "Developers! Developers! Developers!" Ballmer mantra is back! [0]

Microsoft has realized that it can't afford to lose anymore developer mindshare and it's creating some really spectacular results. This is a Microsoft I can be excited about!

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8To-6VIJZRE

HAProxy absolutely can support an HTTP response code health check, but in my experience out of the box it just makes sure the port (say 80) is open. I learned this once the hard way and will never make that mistake again... ;)

I look forward to seeing Android devices powered by Microsoft apps/services in the future just so Google has a wee bit of competition!

We (at SweetLabs) have been proponents of this "Windroid" concept for some time, and I think Cyanogen is a very smart way for Microsoft to move forward. Our "Windroid" thoughts were written up last year if anyone is interested: http://venturebeat.com/2014/01/01/windroid-what-if-microsoft...

> One thing I did not understand is where all the mobile money on facebook is coming from. Looks like it is from app installs (don’t think FB breaks it out) which in turn is created by VC funding bubble.

In July re/code put the App Install Ads at $400-$800m in revenue per quarter. I'd guess it's on the upper-end of that spectrum and is out-pacing other revenue lines. It's not unusual for a top tier game to pay up to $3-5 for a US install.

This is why Twitter is so keen (desperate?) to replicate what FB is doing.

http://recode.net/2014/07/24/why-doesnt-facebook-want-to-bra...

I'm surprised by the privacy backlash in this thread! I understand why this product is so scary for someone who is concerned about privacy, but how is this that much worse than all the other devices you use?

You carry a smart-phone that presumably has GPS, a microphone, and a camera everywhere you go. There's a camera and microphone on your laptop too. Both are cloud connected. If the NSA (or any other super-power) wants to spy on you, they can and will. I believe we've learned that if nothing else w/ all of Snowden's revelations.

IMO if you detest this device's privacy it can only because either: A) You take your privacy VERY seriously, to the point you avoid most mainstream technology and exclusively use burner feature-phones and Tor B) You trust Amazon less than you trust Google, Apple, or others.

I am going to assume it's more the latter than the former. (If not, you really do not represent the mainstream and this audience isn't what I expected).

So assuming B, question for you: why don't you trust Amazon? I actually trust Amazon more than I trust Google or Apple. They have always delivered for me as a customer, and I believe they've always put me first.

*Edited to correct former/latter reversal.

Is there a tax advantage here? Estonia's tax system is supposed to be very simple, and allows for a 0% corporate income tax on all profits that are re-invested into the corporation (source: http://www.incorporate.ee/why-estonia/low-tax-jurisdiction).

Does this mean I can form a corporate entity in Estonia and gain all the tax benefits without any physical presence?

As someone of the "Facebook generation", I have to say my mind was blown by this video. Thanks for sharing.

I feel there is clearly a trend line one could draw here in the evolution of social networking and social media. Since the initial era of social networking, friction was reduced (e.g. Instagram / Twitter) and now it's moving to be both frictionless and ephemeral (Snapchat).

It's interesting because the trend almost leads you something like life broadcasting (e.g. Justin.tv) - but we've already been there. I wonder what the next phase will be.

86400 seconds is 24 hours. It is surprisingly commonly mis-entered as 84600 seconds, as evidenced by this search. As such, many unintended consequences can ensue.

I would love to see a visual representation of the relationship between pitch deck length and successful raise. I was surprised by the length of this deck.

For a different perspective I found this older article which ponders the economic impact of forcing 9 million people to spend time and energy sorting their trash: http://mises.org/daily/2855

>> In all, I can see 41 app tiles without scrolling, both large and small, all of them are easily identifiable and relatively easy to reach.

In practice, I find seeing so much quite overwhelming. Is seeing 41 app tiles - many animated - actually a good thing? My ability to scan and make sense of the Start Screen is quite low. I find it grades on my senses as time passes and every visit to the Start Screen becomes less and less pleasant.

And regarding scrolling, on the desktop are we not used to vertical scrolling? I find it odd when my vertical scroll wheel action results in a horizontal scroll. It's harder to scan while scrolling.

Lastly, regarding have to "dexterously following a series of menus" using a mouse - is it really that hard? Did the MS research say users are unable to use a mouse effectively? I assumed the tiles are huge because a finger is much larger than a mouse pointer, and the Start Screen UI is designed as a touch-first experience.

In regard to #1, Microsoft wants to leverage their desktop monopoly to force users into the Metro ecosystem thus forcing developers to build Metro apps.

I don't believe it's to get users comfortable with Microsoft's interface on mobile offerings though that is clearly a side-effect.

IMO a startup is a company trying to discover and prove a new business model or a radically altered existing business model.

What if the URL gets successfully DDOS'd?

And your current investment thesis is...? :)

Congrats! I love the service.