I was there at that YC startup school where Mark said younger people are smarter. The atmosphere in the air was part humor and part insight, not some seriousness to mean that older people are stupid in anyways.
The most important thing he said that day I can remember was that his company was, no matter what, a "software" company, and even his chief legal team lawyer codes as well, and stressed the importance of understanding and doing coding.
Now, I'm 32, and made a lot of money in my late 20's, and also in my early 20's, but lost everything right before I turned 30 in some legal grow op investments in California. I've never had a successful startup, even though I had a successful affiliate program in college, and am beginning to feel old.
When I was 22, in college and making more than a plastic surgeon because I figured out how to generate oodles of mortgage leads online during the mortgage bubble, I not only felt different, the world itself was different. Everybody seemed to be happier, friendlier. The world is just simply a different place when you're making lots of money and building things, whether its in internet marketing or in the startup world. The world is a very shitty place when you're stagnant, barely making any money, and just rotting away some like dead animal.
Its hard to even think straight any more. It's like a part of me is just not there that once was. I exercise and eat healthily, but its just not the same. Maybe I need to start getting on some HGH treatment, but that's nearly 30k a year. Its probably more mental than hormones.
So yeah, if you're over 30, you're a slow old man, only if you let it get to you deep down.
Barbells I've got down solid. I was on Stronglift's 5x5 for quite a while. Now I've been getting more gains from a hybrid zyzz's workout, with enough compound lifts mixed in. My diet could use some work though, as that's what accounts for most lifting gains.
I'll look into #2. Maybe that can help with #3. When I can think straight and focus, I can stomp my foot on the ground and money seems to spring up around it. Thanks for the advice.
Good luck! Money's still out there for entrepreneurs.
The Miracle of Mindfulness was a good read. Actually, the first ten pages was enough for me. It got me to try being totally mindful for a morning as I went about my affairs, and that stuck with me. I am solidly in the present most of the time.
Letters from a stoic is what I read for Seneca. He taught me that we will lose everything eventually, but accepting this lets us enjoy what we have without fear. And he taught me to rehearse any scenarios I fear and write them down, to see that they're ultimately not so bad, or the common fate of us all.
Can't some code screen scrape instagram and then get the picture data that way? I screen scrape using firefox using zc.testbrowser libraries but there's libraries where you don't need a browser. hacking that together in curl or even mechanize would be insane w/ php or python because its so much javascript.
I'm sure instagram wouldn't want you logging in with somebodies account and it would come from your server ip unless you have the scripts use proxies to get the data. If you use fb to login you would run into roadblocking accounts plus asking for a fb pw is stuff that only apps like spotify can get away with.
Yeah, I think both of you are right. Its part that there are scammers out there who use gambits and deception, and there's also due dillgence by yourself that must be done.
I need to mention that as far as a track record goes, a lot of the people that have wronged me in the past are extremely wealthy now or quickly getting there. Many have networks of friends that they don't scam, and that will readily vouch for them. The worst is if they do become extremely successful, and decide to be "serial entrepreneurs", the path they knew to previous success was the only path they know, and thus are more than ready to run gambits again. That's all they know. Therefore, a track record or "references" doesn't mean much.
I think a good analogy would be like a college girl getting completely drunk and passing out in some guy's bed at a party and the guy takes ripe advantage of the situation. What he did was wrong, but she was still completely foolish to put herself in that spot.
There is no reward without risk. I've had incredible success in business back in the day, from going out on the ledge and taking chances with people I barely knew. However, I've also had that success striped away from me by trusting the wrong people. I'd of been rich several years ago if not for a couple of bad choices. Normally my bad choices revolve around people.
From doing some introspection and reading this thread, I think the key is to mitigate that risk as much as possible. A person will never have complete information until the game is done. Its not like chess; more like poker. One way for me to do this will be through upfront expectations with the person as well as a contract like you described. I do need a lot more self examination, especially with how easily I can trust other people.
How do you know the full story of it? A lot of startups in the valley now are totally dicking their employees out of equity and doing "firing layoffs" instead of really laying people off.
How do you know that journalspace wasn't being shady and screwing them in some kind of contract or negotiation gambit?
I can think of quite a few startups these days that deserve a similar fate to happen to them.
Journalspace sounds like one of an army of web 2.0 startups that aren't going to survive the coming years anyways and go broke. Maybe the founders can now focus on better projects. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise.
> How do you know that journalspace wasn't being shady and screwing them in some kind of contract or negotiation gambit?
It's irrelevant. If you have a dispute with someone and you feel he is treating you unfairly, it's your right to leave and/or sue him, not to burn his house down. If you burn his house down you are a criminal, no matter what he did to you.
Please put something more into it to make it different than d-link's or any other wireless picture frame that can also pull stuff from facebook/etc. Is there an ease of use advantage?
Just saying its "social" is played out and only works in the valley. Everybody is doing that these days. Hardware is normally a different game than software and is played by different rules. The marketing is totally different as well. That's awesome that you guys have been able to put a solid piece of hardware together. Don't let all that work, and all that future work, go to waste by falling into a web 2.0 trap. :)
