Do you know of something like this for emacs?

What, Emacs-like keybindings for Visual Studio? That seems kind of like putting a steering wheel on your coffee table and calling it an Aston Martin.

Actually, Visual Studio does come with Emacs-like keybindings by default - check out Tools > Options > Keyboard, and choose the Emacs option from the dropdown menu.

Nice analogy though :-)

I don't knock something till I try it. I have been using Emacs recently, and I like it. I was simply asking a question. I was not looking to be made fun of.

I wasn't making fun of you - I was pointing out that (in my opinion) what makes Emacs Emacs can't really just be a "plugin" thrown onto an IDE.

Maybe a better analogy would be asking what sort of engine I need to purchase to turn my Civic into a 747.

While that's true, it can be kind of a pain in the ass to learn different key bindings for every program you might have to use.

I have also become familiar with several languages (C, C++, C#, Java, PHP, Python, and Ruby), but when I wanted to start a big project, I realized that I only knew the basics of the language (i.e., synatx). I had no real exposure to the vast libraries available. Once I realized this, and that was only within the past month, I decided to focus just on C and C++. This decision was driven by the fact that I am starting an MSFE program this fall and all I have read about quant work says that I should be well versed in C++. The reason I have also chosen C is because the project I am spending this summer working on is building the statistics and probability portion of a quantitative finance library. I am using two libraries as a reference (Quantlib and GSL) and one is written in C++ and the other in C. Like it has been said, I think it might be a good idea to focus on what you already know and work on improving the skills in that language.

So far I have made it through Weinstein's, Roubini's, and Taleb's talks. What I have seen is a good start towards understanding a subject that we have very little hold over right now. If you can find the time to watch even one of these videos, it is well worth it.

The thing I am interested in the most is accuracy and precision.

The answer is simple. There is a huge and powerful tax lobby that doesn't want to see this happen.

If we're assuming that the government is evil and sufficiently organized, then it seems much more likely that they would want to calculate taxes themselves. They could make a lot of money just by "accidentally" introducing a few errors.

Only if the aggregate impact of those errors is lower than the aggregate impact of the overpayment mistakes that people make when the file their own taxes. The latter also offers much more in the way of plausible deniability.

I thought Obama doesn't listen to lobbyists. Anyway, I'm sure that the vast majority of the public would be grateful.

This is American politics. The politicians say one thing to please the masses and do exactly the opposite. I'm not trying to be confrontational or rude. That's just the reality of things.

Stand-up comedy works well also. It helped me to get over my fear of speaking to large groups.

Do you have to be funny for this to work? ;)

It sure helps.

EDIT: Do you know what secondhand embarrassment is? Go to an open mic and you are sure to experience it. I've seen some people who thought they were hilarious and were actually a train wreck.

Debate is another alternative. Besides speaking in front an audience it also teaches you how to articulate your thoughts and engage your listeners which is invaluable for presentations and the like.

Yes. You have to pay some attention to the rule set you use (if you are into formal debate). Some commonly used rules can have strange effects and encourage behaviour not useful in presentations.

I can't help it; I have to say it. Stop swine flu and you'll make a boatload of money.

First, I am not an accountant or any other licensed individual. I used to work in banking as an analyst and trader before I went back to school. My securities licenses have since elapsed.

Do you have cash entering or leaving the company? Are you starting to deal with accruals? If you have answered yes to the first one but you are able to easily keep track of the inflows and outflows, I wouldn't worry about needing one right now, but I would certainly start looking for one. If you are dealing with accruals, I would think about talking to one at least right now. Business accounting can be a tricky subject when cash flows don't exactly match revenues or expenses. You'll save yourself a lot of headaches if you have someone whose business is accounting at your call.

Thanks for the thoughts brentr.

I actually don't fully know if there is cash "entering or leaving the company." Basically, I'm thinking a scenario where one of the founders is a full time developer for the company, with a "salary." The other founder is initially working full time elsewhere, and paying a portion of that salary in exchange for equity. But is there a better way to structure that agreement somehow? Seems like a question for an accountant to me.

That question I cannot answer. I'd talk to a lawyer and an accountant concerning a question like that.

The INews headline is inaccurate. They matched the street.

Shouldn't these people be working when they are at work?

If you're honestly asking this question, I think you've missed the point of a lot of what's said here on HN.

You might even want to pick up a copy of "The Hacker Ethic" by Pekka Himanen.

I understand well what is said here. With that said, if you are at work, you do your work. Also, you should not be using corporate bandwith to catch up on your own reading agenda. Do that at home.

My annual performance review includes a category for "staying on top of recent developments in web development and software engineering." In light of that, I would not call Hacker News my personal reading agenda.

What he should and shouldn't do is for him and his employer to decide, not you.

You don't find it ironic that you are now telling me what I should and should not do?

Yes, they should. That said, lunch / coffee break HN is something I look forward to. I get to keep up on with (some parts) of the startup world and generally learn something new every day. Of course my optometrist would freak if he knew I was using my break time to read HN ...