Weewoo weewoo

Hacker alert. Remain calm. [The Hustle]( Mon, Apr 10 To hack, or not to hack Late Friday night, hackers set off all of Dallas’ 156 emergency sirens for an [hour and a half]( in the largest breach ever of an emergency alert system. Which is not only obnoxious, it’s dangerous -- clogging up the 911 system from dealing with real emergencies. And it’s still not clear yet what this person (or people) is getting out of it. Guess some hackers just want to watch the world burn… But others use their fingers for good And a lot of cash. Like the elite groups of [“semi-pro coders”]( that make a living off the roughly 1k corporate coding contests happening every year. Using large prize incentives, companies like Kmart or IBM hold hackathons to fast track products ranging from silly mobile apps to IBM’s 3-year, $5m contest to help develop Watson. Teams of coders can [register online]( and if their proposal is accepted, they converge on a designated location, spending the next 24 to 48 hours duking it out in an all-night, no-holds-barred, coding race to the finish -- winner take all. So how much cheddar we talkin’ here? A fair amount. IBM’s contest is on the high end, but one coder recalls winning $6k for just a few hours of work on a mobile gifting app for Sears. Another team won $40k in a day for building a tool that tracks user behavior. And that’s not even counting the complimentary Doritos and Dew. Many support themselves for months at a time with money they earn in just a couple of days, giving them time all the time in the world to work on their own projects (or just play Call Of Duty). That said, when compared with the [$127k salary]( of an entry-level software engineer at Google, those prizes can start to lose some of their luster… [But more time for COD]( No one grid should have all that power Last month, California announced that more than [half the state’s power]( came from solar energy for at least a few hours on March 11, and currently, the sunshine state accounts for almost half of the solar power in the US. While the spike in energy is awesome for the environment, the unstable nature of, uh, nature, creates some unique challenges for energy wholesalers. For example, wholesale energy dropped to zero and even [negative prices]( (compared with $14-45 MW/h between 2013-2015), due to the high cost of shutting down and restarting non-renewable generators. “Soo, free energy… What’s the problem here?” Well for one, the supply of wind/solar varies from season-to-season, and even in times of surplus, we don’t have batteries capable of storing huge amounts of electricity (yet -- looking at you, Elon). And, without a proper outlet (no pun intended), too much electricity can throw the power grid’s balance out of whack or cause power surges. That means, you either have stop the flow of excess renewable energy from over-juicing the grid… Or, you have to find someone to take it off your hands Germany has resorted to [paying neighboring countries]( to use their surplus energy, spending about $540m to divert excess production in 2015. Guess leaving the hall light on once in a while isn’t the worst thing after all… [Hope you’re reading this, Dad]( Giving the squeaky tweet some grease Twitter’s annual [shareholder meeting]( is coming up soon, which means the inevitable “Oh god, how will we ever make money?” conversations are starting up again. But there’s a new idea this time: Turning the company into a cooperative. “Wait, like living on a commune and selling carrots?” Nope, not that type of co-op. Rather, the proposal would give ownership of the company to the tweeters who love it, rather than profit-grubbing shareholders. It might be crazy enough to work With almost 3.5k signatures, the company is required to put the movement to vote -- even if there’s [slim-to-no chance]( it’s approved (the board of directors even said it’s a waste of time). But the concept that Twitter’s value should be based on its social impact, not its balance sheet, is worth consideration. Despite their plunging stock, the blue bird continues to be extremely socially relevant, from reporting breaking news to giving the commander-in-chief an outlet during his bathroom breaks. But big companies need to care about money, right? Not necessarily. Look at Wikipedia, whose non-profit mission and [4.9B monthly visits]( fundamentally changed how people learn things. Or The Associated Press, Green Bay Packers, and RE, all who [successfully operate]( with varying degrees of a user-owned, cooperative model. So Jack, if you’re listening, change the narrative from a struggling social network to the voice of the people. [Twitter.org, just sayin’]( Let’s share some heavy metal No more ridesharing, house renting, or pet sitting. It’s time the sharing economy grew up and started doing some real work. That’s why [MakeTime]( a Kentucky-based startup (yes, they exist), is bringing internet efficiency to industrial manufacturing, allowing small businesses to rent larger companies’ idle machinery. See, manufacturing is structurally inefficient To get big contracts, companies often buy whatever machines they need, only to have no use for them when the project’s over. As a result, US manufacturing equipment ends up unused half the time. Those surplus machine hours are doubly wasteful when you consider how many small businesses and entrepreneurs desperately need them for small projects, but can’t afford a $250k laser cutter of their own. Apparently, the concept hit a nerve and, since launching in late 2014, MakeTime has added 400 manufacturers to the platform with [$11.9m]( in funding. Old habits die hard A big snag towards streamlining is that manufacturers haven’t standardized any descriptors or software. Many specs are even still delivered by pen and paper... which is bananas. But MakeTime CEO Drura Parrish says the real problem isn’t technical -- it’s cultural. Like all other older, slower industries, the builders of the world aren’t quite ready to join us on the nerdy, change-the-world side of thinking. [Just a matter of time]( monday morning review Situation normal Welcome to the part of the email where we typically dive into juicy behind-the-scenes action and address common feedback. But not this week… Things are running fairly smoothly: Deliverability is back on track, Hustle Con hype is [picking up steam]( and someone finally threw out the [empty pickle jars]( in the fridge. Other than that, we’re looking at new office spaces (holler at us if you know some hidden gems in San Francisco or Austin) and we’re hiring additional talent for our editorial team. So, if you or someone you know would be perfect for helping us write the email, tell them to [apply here](. I think that’s all we got… Onwards and upwards. - John, Assistant Branch Manager of the Tree of Life This edition of The Hustle was brought to you by Are you supposed to shampoo your chest hair? It’s a question personal sanitation scholars have wrestled with for ages, right alongside, “soap suds dripping down your legs is the same thing as washing your feet, right?”. On one hand, it’s hair. And shampoo is made for cleaning hair. On the other, there are absolutely zero conditioners advertised for leaving chest or leg hair oil-free and hydrated. If only someone would tell me exactly what to do in these tough situations... Thankfully, we found someone who can [Beardbrand]( made it their mission to lock down your morning routine and get ready for the day without getting too deep into mundane shower thoughts. For example, take their [Utility Balm]( which is perfect for keeping all types of hair and skin hydrated and healthy. Should you use it on your armpits? Yes, use it everywhere. Especially if you’re dealing with dry skin. But they also have all sorts of other products like [beard washes]( [sea salt sprays]( [grooming kits]( and [beard combs]( that fit in your pocket. Beardbrand gives you everything you need to invest in yourself along with proper instruction on all the tough questions. Like, how often do I need to comb my beard? You’ll have to answer that one on your own. [SUBSCRIBE]( [JOBS]( [ADVERTISE]( [EVENTS]( Lindsey Quinn WRITER Kamran Rosen WRITER C. Bigby Heinz SWIMWEAR DESIGNER John "Don't shampoo every time" Havel BACKSEAT EDITOR You opted in by [signing up]( entering a [giveaway]( or through [divine intervention](. [1381 9TH AVENUE, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94122, UNITED STATES]( • [415.506.7210](tel:+1-415-506-7210) Never wanna hear from us again? Break our hearts and [unsubscribe](.