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prakster
2007-03-29T15:35:56
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Do you have cofounders that can move, and you could visit alternate weeks or every weekend? If you have no cofounders AND you cannot move, that's two strikes.
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BrandonM
2007-03-29T15:36:55
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The third comment down links to this YouTube video:<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAWDYaWAVQQ">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SAWDYaWAVQQ</a><p>In short, he admits to intentionally playing the Mac community in order to get hits. So if people just stopped giving him attention, all of these false predictions would stop.
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statikpulse
2007-03-29T15:43:02
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I need help in this category. I'm currently doing consultant work full time to pay the bills (and keep the girlfriend happy) while working on my startup nights and weekends.<p>My girlfriend simply HATES computers and this makes it hard for her to understand what I am doing, why I am doing it and what it could mean later on. To her, it's not work, since it's currently not bringing any money.<p>Luckily she does let me spend some time on my startup, even though I could be spending it her. Going to take advantage of it while I can.<p>
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rms
2007-03-29T15:43:19
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kfischer (at) gmail dot com<p> Thanks
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Mistone
2007-03-29T15:43:35
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"Once you have kids, you can't afford to take that kind of chance with your life because you're also responsible for their lives."<p>I agree to a point, but having kids does not relegate you to life in a cubicle, slowing building your 401 K, and complaining about not having enough Paid Time Off.<p>I think if you have a burning passion to start something and there is a significant potential pay-off down the road you are doing your family a dis-service by not pursuing an opportunity to make your lives better.<p>Nothing worth doing is easy.
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belhassen
2007-03-29T15:45:06
Inxight on Google - Knowledge has replaced OS in post microsoft area
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http://www.inxight.com/products/se_google/features_techspecs.php
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Mistone
2007-03-29T15:47:10
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I'm going this year, but did not go last year. Not sure what to expect but it should be fun!<p>With the insane cost of most of the hot web conferences, and the primary value that you get from conferences being people you meet, this is a great opportunity. Same crowd, no VC funding required to afford a seat.
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zkinion
2007-03-29T15:54:44
null
IP agreements are the least of your worries. They don't matter that much and are really really hard to enforce. Basically it matters if you steal some kind of trade secret of a lot of existing clients/contacts. <p>Not having enough time to properly do your startup should be your main concern.<p>
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jkush
2007-03-29T15:55:10
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I have a cofounder who'd be willing to move, yes. And I supposed I could alternate, but based on the relocation requirement, I didn't think that was an option.
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nostrademons
2007-03-29T15:57:26
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Typically, employers just don't care about ideas that are outside their line of business. After all, if I come up with a great social networking site but my employer is a financial software company, stealing my social networking IP will just be a distraction from their business activities. They're <i>worse</i> off for taking ownership of the IP.<p><i>Do</i> tell your employer what you're doing and clear it with them. Aside from being the honest thing to do, it also sets you up to get formal legal permission. If they're not willing to do so, you know that immediately and can weigh your options from there, including quitting or giving up the startup. <p>In some cases, your employer may even give you money, advice, and customers. I once worked for a company whose CEO was the former CTO of Cybersmith (the gaming cafe company that went bust around 1999). She came up with an idea that was useful for Cybersmith's business but was not something Cybersmith was willing to put resources into. Cybersmith became her first (and only, it turned out) customer and gave them significant resources to fund development.<p>"3) The CEO will sign a document releasing our specific idea from the IP Agreement. Has anyone heard of this happening with success before??"<p>This happens more often than you think. The most prominent example is Apple Computer - Steve Wozniak was on HP's payroll when it was founded, and needed HP to sign away their rights to the Apple I. One of my cofounders is in the process of getting a similar release from Sony Entertainment, and I'll probably need something similar from my employer (I have verbal permission already).
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prakster
2007-03-29T16:01:28
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I meant two co-founders who would relocate, i.e. 3 founders total including yourself. Otherwise, what would your single co-founder do all by himself/herself? The primary reason for requiring the move is to be able to work together at hyper speed.<p>Of course, I'm simply postulating...am neither a decision maker nor an influencer ;-)
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Alex3917
2007-03-29T16:04:21
null
I alluded to this in the last Scribd thread, but try doing a search for either Seduction or NLP. The reason both groups were the first to have their stuff pirated is because their business models are based on information scarcity + books. <p>Scribd is really the first easy way to spread books around the web, so it makes sense that groups using this business model would be the hardest hit.
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mattculbreth
2007-03-29T16:05:06
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I think this is all very good advice.<p>I think the best answer though is probably the one you don't want to hear--option #1 (quitting and doing the startup only) is going to be best. Read Paul's comments about the need for focus and determination. If a startup isn't 100% focused on success then it probably won't get it.<p>You could try your option of going back as a contractor or doing part time work. Part time consulting though is tough. Keep that in mind. If you're on a tough project and you're only supposed to do a few hours here and there one of two things will typically happen: 1) you'll get sucked into more work, 2) they'll find somebody else that can give 40+ hours a week.<p> I've got the same issue now so we're in the same boat.<p>
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omarish
2007-03-29T16:07:19
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Nicely stated.
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prakster
2007-03-29T16:10:02
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It might be more fruitful to spend that time on developing and brainstorming, where it is being put to its highest and best use.
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omarish
2007-03-29T16:10:04
The Tragedy of the Commons
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tragedy_of_the_commons#Garrett_Hardin.27s_essay
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Readmore
2007-03-29T16:11:25
Wired Interview with the author of 'Almost Human: Making Robots Think'
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http://www.wired.com/science/discoveries/news/2007/03/almosthuman_0329
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omarish
2007-03-29T16:12:25
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Hardin talks about the tragedy of the commons and relates it to the model of sheep on a field.<p><i> Positive : the herder receives all of the proceeds from each additional animal<p></i> Negative : the pasture is slightly degraded by each additional animal<p> This is very similar to the web 2.0 model on the internet today where applications get smarter/stronger when people use them. Except on the web, each additional user makes the overall web application stronger. A perfect example is wikipedia itself. <p>When somebody publishes an article, it is a cost of 1. And then to a user reading, he or she gets the benefit of N is the number of articles, but for simplicity's sake, let's say the number of users. <p>Where do the negatives come in? Is there a "tragedy" in web 2.0?
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jsjenkins168
2007-03-29T16:15:10
null
Thanks for the info nostrademons.<p>The company I'm currently at is actually really cool about stuff like this, so getting permission shouldn't be a problem. My concern was more the legal aspect, if the startup ever got the point of being considered for VC funding or being acquired. I wouldn't worry about my company taking legal action as much as scaring away investors or a company. I just want to sort out the legal issues before diving in full force...
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belhassen
2007-03-29T16:17:52
null
here a discussion <a href="http://slotblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/inxight-on-google-knowledge-has.html">http://slotblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/inxight-on-google-knowledge-has.html</a>
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joshwa
2007-03-29T16:19:49
Don't Fuck With Simple (by Jeremy Zawodny)
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http://jeremy.zawodny.com/blog/archives/008084.html
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Readmore
2007-03-29T16:24:59
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Startup work is mundane but still really rewarding because you live and die by your own abilities. Besides, if you make the startup work you can go work on any hard problem you want because you've removed the 'I have to make enough money to pay the bills next month problem. PG did it, they build Viaweb and once they were done he started working on Arc. Nobody pays you to write new programming languages, and I'd bet money the person to make AI real won't be working for Google. The person who solves that problem will do it out of love and determination, not because they wanted to work at the Googleplex.
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rfrey
2007-03-29T16:33:51
null
Sorry, didn't follow the links, fell prey.<p>I feel so... violated.
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nickb
2007-03-29T16:36:45
null
I guess I have to take the dissenting opinion... ;)<p>It's not worth starting a startup when you're married.... especially when you've been marrired for less than 2 years and/or have young kids.<p>1) Too much risk. Why lose a mortgage (and your wife!) over a dream? If you're married and want to have a family, get a stable job, get a mortgage and take care of your family's future. Not having any money (or very little) for few years can be extremely stressful on a marriage... especially if you're not financially stable. If you're financially stable and have millions in the bank, well, then this does not apply to you and you can do whatever pleases you.<p>2) You won't have as much time since your wife will demand that you spend a lot of time with her. If you're in a startup, your startup will be your wife and your kid and your family for at least a year. You'll be competing against other teams which don't have time limitations and against people who are working 12-14 hr days. You simply won't be able to compete with them. If you start spending less time in a startup than your cofounders, there will be some serious tensions!<p>3) Do you have young kids? Spend your time with kids, not in a startup. You'll be glad you did later on. No matter how much money you make, you won't be able to buy back time!<p>Anyway, I speak from experience. I've been in a startup (I was an employee) in which one of the cofounders divorced after 6 months because his wife ended up cheating on him... since he was never around with her.
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awt
2007-03-29T16:45:44
null
Did your friend get rich and make his wife regret cheating on him?
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rfrey
2007-03-29T16:45:58
null
Hi, Omarish. The tragedy of the commons (economists call these situations "negative externalities") doesn't apply to Web 2.0 in my opinion. <p>The tragedy of the commons stems from a basic cost/benefit calculation: in business, if something costs you more than you make, you either stop selling it or you go out of business. The basic problem of a negative externality is that while the profit accrues to an individual, the cost hidden from that individual and is borne by the community. So a non-viable activity continues to be performed, until the community goes bankrupt. (I.e., the field is depleted and cannot sustain sheep). Some argue that pollution falls into this category. (Note that this is not necessarily an argument for private ownership of everything: the principle problem is costs exceeding benefits, and those costs being hidden from producers so that their incentives are misaligned. Privatization is one way, but probably not the only way, to align incentives.)<p>But in Web 2.0, there are no hidden costs that are depleting the overall store. Companies pay for their bandwidth, pay for their storage, etc. No costs are shifted to the community as near as I can tell. <p>A better model for what you're talking about might be network effects - <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effects">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Network_effects</a>
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zach
2007-03-29T16:52:29
null
Ahaha, that's the day I postponed my jury duty to. Anyone see a report from last year?
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nickb
2007-03-29T16:56:11
null
Desperation?
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story
dhbradshaw
2007-03-29T16:58:19
Throwing down a gauntlet
null
http://bhlc.blogspot.com/2007/03/round-two.html
1
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0
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zaidf
2007-03-29T17:06:30
null
The problem is almost any kind of change generally brings very polar response. At some point sites have to just trust their instincts and hope that over days and weeks users will get used to it and like it. <p>I have seen it happen with Digg - every time their new design goes up the hate comments start appearing; or even Facebook - when they launched the newsfeed, it seemed like the end of the world if you went by the chatter on college campuses.<p>
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Mistone
2007-03-29T17:10:15
Announcing the 2007 Finalist Teams - UC Berkeley Business Plan Competition
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http://bplan.berkeley.edu/index.cfm?section=About%20the%20Competition&page=Finalists
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[ 7588, 7383 ]
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nickb
2007-03-29T17:12:29
null
Take a look at your employment agreement. It should have a clause in there detailing exactly how the IP is appropriated. Some companies' agreements say that they own ALL the IP while you're working for them, even the work done in after-work hours. Some say that only the work done on their computers belongs to them. Some agreements are ambiguous on purpose so they can come after you if you leave and they think you came up with stuff while working for them (which is very common... you see something your current customers need and you decide to go solo). Also, where do your customers come from? Are they the same as your employer's customers? They'll come after you. Are you competing with your employer? They'll come after you! Have you signed a non-compete? If you're in a similar/same area as your current employer, they'll come after you.<p>Anyway, this can become a huge mess... talk to your lawyer.
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sanj
2007-03-29T17:13:33
null
But a c-corp has poor tax implications. And has yearly (quarterly?) filings. And is much more expensive to set up.
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far33d
2007-03-29T17:17:45
null
My wife likes money and my wife loves taking big risks. So she's the biggest cheerleader in my "crazy" fantasy. At the same time, my wife's been poor too, so she's not worried about tightening the finances either. I guess not everyone is as lucky as me.
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far33d
2007-03-29T17:22:06
Yahoo hacks - Is the big Y! learning something?
null
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/etech_yahoo_hacks.php
3
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far33d
2007-03-29T17:23:55
The Mozilla Manifesto
null
http://weblogs.mozillazine.org/mitchell/archives/2007/02/the_mozilla_manifesto_introduc.html
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0
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dhouston
2007-03-29T17:35:59
null
agree with above, and just went through this a week or two ago. i got a letter from my company saying they have no ownership stake in what i'm doing (an extra complication was that i'm working part time in the office and part time on my idea as part of an agreement we struck.) it cost me like $1,000 out of pocket to get an attorney and a letter drafted saying my employer has no "right, title, or interest" in my new venture and related patents/applications/copyrights/etc., but in the grand scheme of things it's a no-brainer to make sure the IP around the idea/new business is clean.<p>if you have questions about this shoot me an email at houston at alum.mit.edu ... it was a pretty straightforward process.<p>-drew
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dhouston
2007-03-29T17:38:17
null
this is dangerous advice -- regardless of whether or not enforcement on these agreements is likely or possible, you will spook investors/acquirers if you don't do your due diligence in this area and don't have the necessary documents to prove ownership of your IP.<p>-drew
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comment
zkinion
2007-03-29T17:39:41
null
They're not THAT expensive to start up. I'm sure theres ways to get an LLC or S-corp out of being offshore. Probably the managing partner would be in the US. <p> Here's some Nevada LLC forms: <a href="http://www.sos.state.nv.us/comm_rec/crforms/pdf/NRS86FormDomesticpk.pdf">http://www.sos.state.nv.us/comm_rec/crforms/pdf/NRS86FormDomesticpk.pdf</a><p><a href="http://www.sos.state.nv.us/comm_rec/crforms/pdf/NRS78Formpk.pdf">http://www.sos.state.nv.us/comm_rec/crforms/pdf/NRS78Formpk.pdf</a> <p>Here's the important one: articles of domestication. It's the same with the LLC. That's your ticket there! :) <a href="http://www.sos.state.nv.us/comm_rec/crforms/omni/NRS92ADomestication.pdf">http://www.sos.state.nv.us/comm_rec/crforms/omni/NRS92ADomestication.pdf</a><p> I'd read through those. Obviously, you will probably be incorporating in another state. Nevada is the second most popular, to Delaware.
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dottertrotter
2007-03-29T17:42:41
null
I'm in the same boat as you as my wife doesn't like computers and doesn't know anything about them. But what she does know is how passionate I am for programming and for creating something that I can be proud of, and because of that she is insanely supportive about what I do. In return though I believe and expect that she wants the same support from me for the things she is passionate about. So thats my advice, show her why you enjoy it, and then support her in whatever she enjoys.
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mattculbreth
2007-03-29T17:45:18
null
Really well said. My wife and three year old son are on the team. We're enjoying the hell out of this because we're doing it together.
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richcollins
2007-03-29T17:50:41
null
My wife helps support me as well. I'm not sure I would say that I couldn't do it without her. Having serious obligations like a wife definitely distracts me from my startup big time. Of course I would give up my startup in a second if it came down to a choice. I don't want to end up like Kermit:<p><a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLQRv0RjBBM">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uLQRv0RjBBM</a>
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herdrick
2007-03-29T17:52:57
null
This is great, especially the Max Levchin part. Thanks kulveer / kul.
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daliso
2007-03-29T17:55:01
OpenFloodgate: Online Publishing with Control
null
http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/03/29/openfloodgate-online-publishing-with-control/
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[ 7344 ]
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comment
daliso
2007-03-29T17:58:33
null
What do you guys think about the increase in the number of these document publishing sites. Will these morph into web based filing systems to replace the filing systems on our PCs?<p>What's their business model and which site will become dominant?
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r7000
2007-03-29T18:05:15
bbc startup series: Zooomr
null
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6502611.stm
1
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0
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story
r7000
2007-03-29T18:06:11
bbc startup series: StumbleUpon
null
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/6506055.stm
4
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0
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story
domp
2007-03-29T18:25:32
Young people are just smarter
null
http://news.com.com/2061-11729_3-6171235.html
5
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21
[ 7368, 7527, 7369 ]
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comment
jw
2007-03-29T18:32:46
null
The book analogy falls apart here, because only a limited number of people are accepted to YC or TS, while a (practically) unlimited number of people can read Harry Potter. The existence of two YC-like programs doesn't significantly decrease the amount of interest per program, especially since you can apply to both. It does, however, significantly increase (approx double) the number of entrepreneurs funded, and the competition may encourage YC to improve its program further.<p>As for your book example comment, if somebody wrote Henry Potter, I imagine lots of people would read it. The story in each new Harry Potter book isn't new and exciting either... it's the same story, new details. Also, just because Harry Potter was the most popular series with that story line doesn't mean there's no demand for other similar books.
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[ 7948 ]
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story
tomcat_111
2007-03-29T18:33:02
If you could only read one, which would it be?
null
http://www.jslogan.com/content/view/128/106/
2
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comment
rsynnott
2007-03-29T18:36:56
null
Depending on the employer, they may be quite happy to amend your contract to lay no claim on anything done in your own time and outside their product domain. Mine did.
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comment
chris_l
2007-03-29T18:37:30
null
If you really were a Jobs, it wouldn't matter whether he can tell, or not?
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zaidf
2007-03-29T18:38:31
How I Sold My Idea to my Co-Founders
null
http://www.slideshare.net/zaidf/how-i-sold-my-idea-to-my-cofounders
1
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7
[ 7353, 7362, 7430 ]
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comment
zaidf
2007-03-29T18:40:26
null
Updated link: <a href="http://www.slideshare.net/zaidf/how-i-sold-my-idea-to-my-cofounders">http://www.slideshare.net/zaidf/how-i-sold-my-idea-to-my-cofounders</a><p>I post this because I am presenting to a local VC tomorrow for another idea. <p>I'd love any feedback on what I should put more focus on for the presentation tomorrow.
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story
palish
2007-03-29T18:41:54
A Group is its Own Worst Enemy - Social Software Design
null
http://shirky.com/writings/group_enemy.html
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3
[ 7357, 7445, 7511 ]
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comment
jw
2007-03-29T18:42:06
null
I agree the site is way over the top and disconcerting. When I loaded the main page it just felt like they were trying way too hard to sell me something. It looks more like an ad for the 4th of July sale at Macy's than a startup funder. Either that or an ad for Citizen's bank, I cant' decide. It's a stark contrast with the YC site, where you have to read a bit to figure out what's going on. I don't think they need to be worried about getting people to apply, they're giving out free money after all...
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pg
2007-03-29T18:53:27
Paul Buchheit amused by Likewithyou's camtoy
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http://www.iminlikewithyou.com/camtoys/play/1414
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[ 7359, 7422, 7385, 7484, 7500 ]
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mattculbreth
2007-03-29T18:54:34
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I read this essay recently in Joel Spolsky's "Best Software Writing". Really a great essay to study what seems to happen to groups on the net. Witness Reddit very recently with the old timers upset about the heavy political content. Fascinating that it seems to happen across decades.
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domp
2007-03-29T18:55:19
Adbrite launches BritePic - "Steroids for Photos"
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http://blogs.business2.com/beta/2007/03/not_ready_brite.html
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[ 7366, 7533, 7477 ]
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mattculbreth
2007-03-29T18:55:58
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Hey that's cool. How'd they do it? I guess some sort of logic to look for movement in the image and put the stars around it?
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nolbrowne
2007-03-29T18:58:41
Facebook meets Yahoo Answers - AnswerU
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http://media.www.bcheights.com/media/storage/paper144/news/2007/02/22/Marketplace/Mit-Students.Centralize.answers-2736339.shtml
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[ 7376, 7372 ]
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palish
2007-03-29T18:58:51
null
It seems unlikely that Perl would be the best choice to write this website in.<p>Timeslicing it into segments of 15 days might be a little too artificial. No one knows really how long it'll take, and it'll probably be 2-3 times your worst case number (the video game industry taught me that one).<p>Black and white might not be the best color to present the information in. It's simple, but even a little bit of color can help. Up to you though.<p>Other than that, good luck!
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[ 7374, 7364 ]
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zkinion
2007-03-29T19:00:01
null
Nice. I need to make one of these very soon. I'm looking for co-founders for a new approach to online gambling, and most people don't really understand the casino business that much deep down. Something like this can help out quite a bit.
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pg
2007-03-29T19:01:32
null
This just freaks me out. I can't wait for this one to slide down the frontpage...
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[ 7429, 7395, 7392, 7396, 24587 ]
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zaidf
2007-03-29T19:02:56
null
Good points!<p>Like I said, we launched the site three months ago. Perl is working well for us, at least so far. And we launched five days ahead of schedule. But you are right, more often than not that won't be the case.
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palish
2007-03-29T19:03:31
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[email protected], if you have a spare. I'd appreciate it. Thank you!
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domp
2007-03-29T19:06:07
null
Also on BritePic: <a href="http://news.ycombinator.com/comments?id=7286">http://news.ycombinator.com/comments?id=7286</a>
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zkinion
2007-03-29T19:07:31
null
Aren't you the guy that emailed me? Sorry I wasn't able to meet up with you at startup school. <p>I still don't think its that dangerous of advice. Sure, if somebody is working in a similar industry, doing actual work on the start up in the work place, then that'd be a problem. Businesses often do have large portfolios of IP, many having not much to do with their business, but I don't think somebody is going to have a problem working on something totally different, at home, on their own machines, on their own time.
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pg
2007-03-29T19:09:16
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He had a point. He just phrased it in a way that alienated a lot of people. But there is a certain energy and willingness to see things in unconventional ways that most people lose as they get older. <p>I also think the world is changing to value it more. Math, for example, is famously a young man's game. And I think the world is changing so that more things are like math.
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[ 7371, 7382, 7378, 7863, 7380, 7393 ]
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richcollins
2007-03-29T19:09:37
null
Maybe I am just jealous since I am over 30 and have not yet succeeded in a startup, but I think it is lack of commitments that allows younger people to be more inventive. If your mind is occupied with IRAs and Cars and Kids ... etc, you never have enough time to get immersed in the process of solving problems.
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zkinion
2007-03-29T19:10:06
null
Infomercial as inthe kind you see on TV, or just some super dooper presentation whipped up in 3dsmax/premiere?
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richcollins
2007-03-29T19:12:57
null
Paul Erdos was prolific into old age. I contend it is a lack of focus that prevents older people from innovating, not age:<p>"Paul Erdos never learned to tie his shoes, never drove a car or sliced his own piece of fruit"<p><a href="http://teenink.com/Past/1999/10666.html">http://teenink.com/Past/1999/10666.html</a>
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nolbrowne
2007-03-29T19:13:06
null
would have been useful when I was a freshman. What do you guys think?
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Hexayurt
2007-03-29T19:14:06
Looking for entrepreneurial team - have technology and first client. You find funding!
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[ 7381, 7377 ]
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zaidf
2007-03-29T19:14:19
null
A point about black/white: be careful about the looks. You might get a false response if your presentation <i>looks</i> great. At least when pitching to potential cofounders, I care more about them understanding what they are getting into than blindly accepting whatever I say because the presentation looks cool. <p>Ideal would be a presentation that looks indifferent.
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Goladus
2007-03-29T19:15:58
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I haven't quit my job, but I'm going to leave it as soon as I reasonably can. It's really hard to say whether Paul Graham had anything to do with it. I'd read inspirational stuff from Kathy Sierra (Creating Passionate Users) and Pamela Slim (Escape from Cubicle Nation) first, which I think is where I started getting the idea to start my own company.
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zkinion
2007-03-29T19:16:30
null
I could see some limited use out of it. Hopefully there will be something more. <p>Other than that, it seems like chocolate syrup on a yummy hamburger.
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zkinion
2007-03-29T19:17:56
null
The more you say in here, the better chance you have of finding a person. Pitch something.
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domp
2007-03-29T19:20:03
null
I think he meant smart as in that their more apt to know what is 'cool'. It's obviously being blown out of proportion though. A comparison is with music. In high school and college everyone knows the music scene and all of the up and coming bands. It's all around you and you can't avoid it. When you're a little older it's harder to stay on top of those new artists and underground musicians.
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jslogan
2007-03-29T19:27:34
A 21 page analysis of a one page sales letter that resulted in a 75% response
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http://www.jslogan.com/content/view/33/106/
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[ 7390, 7552, 7766 ]
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amichail
2007-03-29T19:28:07
null
I think that open-ended creativity has little to do with math. Yes, most people get worse at math as they age, but some get better at open-ended creativity.<p>For most web 2.0 startups, I would say that creativity is more important than math.<p>As for the actual programming part, well many people can do that. It's not that big of a deal.
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Hexayurt
2007-03-29T19:28:30
null
Hi. My name is Vinay Gupta. I'm an environmentalist and refugee infrastructure consultant by trade, although I did spend about 10 years doing software including a number of start ups. My projects include minor roles in <a href="http://oilendgame.org/">http://oilendgame.org/</a> <a href="http://smallisprofitable.org">http://smallisprofitable.org</a> and technical lead on <a href="http://database.biomimicry.org/">http://database.biomimicry.org/</a><p>My main project is an award winning, public domain / free/libre refugee shelter system called the hexayurt.<p>So, I've got a technology that I'm looking to get turned into a product. For ethical reasons there will be no patents or IP protection - you could write a closed implementation, patent additional side features etc - but the basic ideas are already disclosed. The cat is out of the bag, because this is refugee stuff which <i>just happens</i> to have some other applications, and so I disclosed it to make sure it would not be patentable from my work. There may be other patent issues, although none have arisen so far - we have yet to hit prior art.<p>Technologies: mobile phone programming, 2D bar codes, very large databases, and some basic understanding of cryptosystems. Like, how to call the libraries, not how to roll your own broken encryption.<p>Now, here's the kicker: if I'm not <i>entirely</i> mistaken, I have a customer lined up. A Large Customer. If that turns out not to be true, there's no point starting this thing.<p>If, however, it is, the gig would start with one large contract, and then if you can then make this into a company, you go right ahead. I'm fully engaged pushing the Hexayurt Shelter System (a free/libre refugee infrastructure system) and don't have time to do a start up. I can advise, and make the introductions. From there in it would be up to you to make it a success, working with that client. My compensation is likely to be largely as a subcontractor to that client, working on the design end.<p>Interested? [email protected]
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Elfan
2007-03-29T19:31:40
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Math seems to becoming less of a young man's game. There is simply to much to learn now before you reach a field still ripe with unsolved problems. There still lots of said problems, they are just built on top of other things.<p><a href="http://www.slate.com/id/2082960/">http://www.slate.com/id/2082960/</a>
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zkinion
2007-03-29T19:34:04
null
So all they had to do was submit a business plan?<p>Do these things, such as the disease detection and other medical devices actually work or are just theory?
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Hexayurt
2007-03-29T19:43:11
null
I can fill in a little more of the technical side of things here. The core challenge is to print a lot of data on an A4 / US Letter sized piece of paper, and then get that data back off the paper and into an application running on a cell phone.<p>Ideally, this would work on any old phone. Realistically, this would be vertically integrated - you'd get to pick the phone, and the printing format for the page containing the data. From the specs and the initial discussions I've had with companies in the field, the speed of light for 2D bar codes is about 3mb per page (Data Matrix) and the choke point is mobile phone camera quality, particularly focal length issues (can't focus properly on the close page.)<p>Approaches: using better phones, deconvolution algorithms, c'mon guys, you know how to fix this.<p>After that, there's some extremely simple large scale database stuff which looks, to my eye at least, to be a natural fit for REST. <p>Basically:<p>Yank data off the page<p>think about it<p>do stuff over GPRS/3G or - ugh - SMS (yeah... SMS out, SMS back... terse data formats.)<p>Done.<p>Nothing about this is difficult. The crypto fits in just to ensure data integrity - make sure that the bar codes haven't been damaged, or that the data on the bar codes isn't stale.<p>Ok? Enough here to be going on with? Do we need to belabor the point further? For the right team, <i></i>assuming<i></i> the deal comes through, this would be an easy gig.<p>If it doesn't, there's no gig, no client, no business, even if I disclosed the rest of the pieces here. So it's a potential and there's not much you can do to make it happen or not. But if it does come through, first plausible team might make a pretty good living for a few months and possibly be left with a viable company at the end of it. Can't promise more than that. In terms of IP, there would be full disclosure, no NDAs, no patents on my work as I described. There could be competition, although probably not, and for other reasons I'm not simply posting the whole damn design on the internet (more on that angle later.)<p>Ok, done. Nothing more I can think of to tell you, please ask more questions either here or by email.<p>Vinay
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zach
2007-03-29T19:48:27
null
Very cool. So this is what Justin was flipping out over at the YC mixer, I take it?
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amichail
2007-03-29T19:50:09
On finding a cofounder: what is the likelihood that people will like your idea AND your proposed implementation technologies?
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[ 7415, 7403, 7446, 7388 ]
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paul
2007-03-29T19:50:46
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Give up your dreams and spend the rest of your life locked away in a cubicle? Maybe you should just get a new wife instead, one that isn't so high-maintenance :)<p>
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amichail
2007-03-29T19:53:50
null
There are many different ways to build a web app and this can present a significant hurdle to finding cofounders. After all, some may like your idea but hate your choice of implementation technologies.
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richcollins
2007-03-29T19:58:40
null
Yep - if I end up homeless I am coming to his house to beg :P
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e1ven
2007-03-29T19:58:46
null
An interesting analysis- <p>His basic premise is that in order to reach people, you need to do you homework and deal with the decision makers in a way that encourages them to action.<p>Of his two scenarios, the first is more interesting- Recognizing that people in large companies are often looking out for their own interest more directly than that of the company at-large, he positions the letter to them as a take it or leave it solution, reminding them that he's sent it to their colleagues as well.<p>This is reminiscent of a point Seth Godin makes, which is that it's harder for someone to do nothing, than to say no.<p>The author of this letter tries to put the executives in a position where they are Making a Decision not to meet. They are choosing to pass up the offer, not just declining to do it now.<p>That's a powerful position to take, particularly when you're trying to get a meeting.<p>If I recall correctly.from previous forum posts, PG said that last year he had started out with three piles- Meeting, No Meeting, and Maybe.. Eventually, he moved everyone from the Maybe pile to Meeting. It's worth the time and money to avoid the risk of passing up something that could be great.<p>It's that sort of decision- "I better at least listen to foo, or I'm missing out", that opens the door for meetings.<p><p>
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msgbeepa
2007-03-29T20:07:51
Stock Market Tips All Over The World
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http://www.wikio.com/webinfo?id=13036613
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[ 7496 ]
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comment
dpapathanasiou
2007-03-29T20:14:08
null
When you open Pandora's box, you get everything, both the bad (greed, vanity, slander, envy, pining, etc.) and the good (hope and progress).
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create_account
2007-03-29T20:22:45
null
Point or no point, he sounds like an ass.
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sethjohn
2007-03-29T20:24:41
null
Flash (and other) video compression uses a similar algorithm to look for parts of a video that are more static. (To avoid re-sending information about a static background, for example.) I'd guess it's a modification from compression technology.<p> to avoid re-sending information about a static background for example. I wonder if they built theirs from scratch or just modified
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create_account
2007-03-29T20:24:42
null
Wait until you get groupies camping outside your house, just to get glimpse of you. You could be the next David Koresh or Jim Jones.
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create_account
2007-03-29T20:27:11
null
BTW, I'm seeing a weird bug in Safari. Every time I reply or just click an up-arrow, I get an error saying "does nto exist". Then I go back, and see that my comment was posted and my up-vote was counted. What gives?
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eli
2007-03-29T20:37:43
null
Interesting stuff. The cool thing about Slingshot is that it seems like it'll be relatively easy to bolt it on to existing Rails apps. For Apollo, I think you're pretty much going to have to build your apps for Apollo from the start.<p> The downside to Slingshot (for some people) is that, since it's rails, you're gonna be sending at least part of your application's source code down to the client to make it work offline. I don't think that's such a big deal, but it could be a dealbreaker for some.<p>edit: see also: <a href="http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/03/23/here-comes-competition-apollo/">http://www.techcrunch.com/2007/03/23/here-comes-competition-apollo/</a>
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mae
2007-03-29T20:38:38
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Thank you
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mae
2007-03-29T20:38:39
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Thank you
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