viviantan

Sweet. Thanks!

Hi choffstein, I'm also one of the Mathbreakers founders.

Counting Kingdom looks awesome -- thanks for sharing! We definitely share the same philosophy about learning through games. Popup worksheets != gameplay!

We'd love to chat and nerd out with you and your sister. How do we reach you?

Cheers! Vivian

I've seen actual demos and the product's been improving at lightning speed. Not quite as polished as the CG but I think the special effects are there to help people envision what can be done, since it's really difficult to articulate. It's early-stage but definitely well beyond mere concept. There's some solid talent on the team and I'm excited to see where they go with this.

Guys, if you're on Hacker News then you're most likely chasing your own kind of storm. Samaras and his crew went out of their way to pursue their passion and to make the world better for others.

Show a little respect, please.

I think he's envisioning this as a one-way trip: $500k for a house in California OR settle down on Mars. In that case, it's actually an affordable price tag. Even if EM realizes his reusable rockets, I imagine the primary purpose would be for transporting supplies, etc. rather than frequently shuttling people Earth <---> Mars.

Just think of immigrants from the early 1900's who uprooted their entire families and got on a boat to America. That was a one-way journey in most cases until international travel became more affordable and more commonplace. Interplanetary travel, when it happens, will likely take the same pattern.

Patio in the back of Tied House. Going on right now for you stragglers who can't make up your minds :) you're still welcome!

Do I need the app for this to run on iPhone4? I tried pulling up the site but it didn't work.

Hey guys and gals! I know this thread looks bare but people have been responding by email. The meetup is definitely still happening and we hope you'll join us!

Shoot me an email (contact info in profile) so I could add you to the headcount. Cheers.

Lol no! Not "rejection" parties! Everyone is invited whether they're past, present, or future YC applicants, with or without having been accepted by YC. This is just a way for people to hang out and unwind and have fun, especially those who have gone through the application process.

Me too. Best of luck next time to everyone!

Btw, there are post-application morale-boosting celebrations happening all over the place. I'm hosting one this Saturday in the Bay Area. Hope you'll join us!

More info here and here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787228 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4775943

I just realized my earlier comment may appear trollish. That really wasn't my intention.

I got a good chuckle from this discussion because I travel to Japan frequently. But no matter how many times I've encountered Japanese toilets, they still cause much amusement, confusion, and even some anxiety. (I say anxiety because sometimes it's hard to tell if pressing a button would cause the toilet to sing you a song or do something unexpected.)

After reading this article and seeing the very lively and rather in-depth discussion here on HN, I'm pleasantly surprised that I'm not the only one befuddled and fascinated by this bit of Japanese technology.

On the other hand, I've also spent time in parts of the world where there's no running water at all for flushing toilets. Hence the fringe nature of bidets in our society and toilet seats costing more than $1k = first world problems IMO. Not that it wouldn't make a great gift for the holidays.

Yes. Caltrain stop in Mountain View is a five minute walk from where we're meeting.

Sadly, no. But you can start your own! And we'll be there in spirit :)

I realize there are serious health implications, but I can't read this thread without getting the giggle fits.

This would be such an awesome first-world problems meme :)

Bay Area folks! Let's meet at Tied House in Mountain View this Saturday at 6:00. Family members and underaged people welcome; the grownups can migrate to Nola in Palo Alto afterwards.

I've re-posted about the meetup here: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4787228

Sending you moral support, even though your state can't count votes. Best of luck with everything!

I've gotten a few emails from people who wanna meet and hangout, and I'll repost this tomorrow night when all the YC prospects are stalking HN :)

You read my mind! Does Friday or Saturday work better for folks who are reading this?

Haruki Murakami:

1Q84 -- title's a nod to Orwellian dystopia; awesome mystery with a dash of sci-fi that takes place in a parallel universe sort of Tokyo; the English editon's 3 books in one so it's quite looong

Wind Up Bird Chronicle -- another 3-books-in-one psychological thriller, but the plotline's really just a device for telling the story of the Soviet-Japan border clashes during WWII and the atrocities committed by both sides; I loved the story but it's long and really weird, even for Murakami

Hardboiled Wonderland And The End Of The World -- really fun and imaginative book about a guy who can encrypt data by passing it through his subconsciousness, and ends up getting stuck there himself; I think this was the book that made Murakami famous in the US

Lol thanks for the offer! If I get into YC I'll open a bank account there :)

I've created a separate post for this: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=4775943

People from other areas are welcome to start comment threads based on location.

You're awesome, thank you for the encouragement!

Any applicants (past, present, future) interested in having an informal meetup this weekend? Whether we get good news or bad news on the 15th, getting together would be a great morale boost and it'll be fun to meet everyone! I happen to be in Silicon Valley, but I'll be there in spirit for fellow applicants everywhere else :)

Contact info's in the profile. Good luck to everyone!

I'm loving this idea, except I'd be afraid to date anyone who does share my sense of humor :)

You're onto something here -- keep us posted.

At first I thought you were actually encouraging me to post obtuse, self-righteous replies! Your advice (the correctly interpreted and misinterpreted versions) is taken under submission.

I missed the joke entirely at first, but I'm glad I read your comments before posting some obtuse, self-righteous reply like I normally would :)

Now I'll have to check out tptacek's "must read" list.

This is the best article I've read on UI design in a while, thank you for sharing! Lately I've come across a number of blogs and articles drawing comparisons between the work by early Disney animators and Imagineers and modern UI/UX design. I think those principles translate well to web and mobile -- we are taking taking users "on a ride" after all. It's nice to see the animation principles explained so thoroughly here.

> No, it's a designer with an interest in all design.

Thank you. I've been trying to make the same point, but with far too many words!

While it's true that not everyone can afford the "best" that money can buy, whatever that means, picking the best quality whenever possible is quite the opposite of materialism. I associate materialism with superficiality and waste. None of the things you mentioned here were chosen merely to satisfy some status seeking urge. And because these things didn't need to be constantly replaced because they soon broke or went out of style, the people who chose them likely spent less time thinking about what to buy ("materialism" in your view) and more time doing what matters to them.

I agree with you only to the extent that people are important and so are the connections we build with them. What I don't get is your argument against appreciating a fine set of cutlery or a well-made wallet when these things were specifically designed to make the lives of people who use them a little better. Well-made things let people live their lives more fully. Dustin Curtis clearly enjoyed his time abroad because he didn't have to worry about his backpack exploding during his travels (a lesson I learned the hard way). Steve Jobs spent months picking a washing machine so he wouldn't have to worry about ruining clothes or wasting water. Clearly that freed up time for SJ to do plenty of other things.

Revenge of the Nerd. Sweet, sweet revenge :)