LLVM, OpenBSD, Libdispatch.

Could it not be that the population of degree holders is more likely to work hard at something?

How about a BMW 135? 3,300 lbs, 302 hp.

You sound like a real gem.

Left alone inside its mother, the fetus with a single neuron will mature into a "full-fledged" baby. The same is not true for a fingernail.

I think potential is an important metric -- left in the natural state it was found, what would/could x turn into? An acorn would be a tree, a fetus would be a human.

Could you define "person" (what the GP asked) without comparing it to itself?

Are you trolling or just retarded? Of course the two GPSs agree, they're measuring the same thing. We're talking about the speedo.

It's not tinfoil, it's actually a thing.

Federal law in the US governs the error to no more than 5%, but of course that's from the factory. If you've got under/overinflated tires, new non-factory-spec tires, even simple wear and tear -- they can vastly affect the accuracy of your speedo.

That your GPS, phone and speedo all agree is simple coincidence.

When traveling at a true 70 mph, as indicated by our highly precise Datron optical fifth-wheel equipment, the average speedometer (based on more than 200 road-tested vehicles) reads 71.37 mph.

http://www.caranddriver.com/features/speedometer-scandal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Speedometer#Error

http://www.foxnews.com/leisure/2012/05/11/how-fast-are-really-going-accuracy-speedometers/

how do you know that good CEOs are rare?

By retrospect, with the understanding that past performance isn't a guarantee of future performance. Thus, you can look back and objectively say "he was a good CEO", but it's much harder to predict how good he'll be at the next gig.

My suspicion is that, once you eliminate the most obvious ways to run a company badly, it's all a big crap shoot.

The CEO takes the Obvious Ways Global Playbook and translates that into policy, vision, and action. Then he socializes it and gets buy-in -- that's the hard part, and why there's infighting at any level.

This is an oft-repeated mantra, but I'm curious: what are some real-life examples of this being the case?

What a terrible example. Social networks weren't new when the Winklevii thought up their little twist.

I'm so surprised I have to keep saying this on /. of all places -- ideas are the least valuable part of a business. Implementation is where the dough is made or lost.

Look, if the guy is 1) a big enough deal that getting his advice is something I want and 2) well-known in the community -- and if I'm a nobody -- asking him to sign an NDA is ridiculous for all but the very very edge cases.

they're saying to you "I don't know you very well."

Then why ask for their opinion or business advice?

Yours is a perfectly cromulent situation in which to require NDAs - employment. TFA even says as much:

Are there some situations where NDAs are appropriate? You betcha. [...] An NDA should be dependent upon the signer being compensated in some non-trivial way, as in a condition of being hired or part of terms of a sale. Requiring one prior to that is highly suspect, and signing one, I say

So, according to TFA, NDA'ing your employees is fine, because you're offering them some kind of compensation. But asking a guy you called up to have some coffee and toss around an idea to sign... not legit.

If you haven't seen that in action, btw (the "let's grab coffee and you give me your advice, but here also sign this NDA?"), it absolutely happens.

"X is a pain once, then you're done"

That could be said about almost anything.