Shoplift

"It’s really important to view your life as an entrepreneur as a long journey that consists of many..."

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 08:06:54 +0000

“It’s really important to view your life as an entrepreneur as a long journey that consists of many short-term cycles.”

- Brad Feld, On Not Mourning Your Failures & Overcoming Burn-Out (via jonathanmoore)

"You have to design apps for the way people are, not the way they wish they were."

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:17:49 +0000

“You have to design apps for the way people are, not the way they wish they were.”

- Roelof Botha (via jonathanmoore)

"Right now, there are brilliant students from all over the world sitting in classrooms at our top..."

Wed, 30 Jan 2013 15:17:25 +0000

“Right now, there are brilliant students from all over the world sitting in classrooms at our top universities. They’re earning degrees in the fields of the future, like engineering and computer science. But once they finish school, once they earn that diploma, there’s a good chance they’ll have to leave our country. Think about that.

Intel was started with the help of an immigrant who studied here and then stayed here. Instagram was started with the help of an immigrant who studied here and then stayed here. Right now in one of those classrooms, there’s a student wrestling with how to turn their big idea—their Intel or Instagram—into a big business. We’re giving them all the skills they need to figure that out, but then we’re going to turn around and tell them to start that business and create those jobs in China or India or Mexico or someplace else? That’s not how you grow new industries in America. That’s how you give new industries to our competitors. That’s why we need comprehensive immigration reform.”

- damn straight

President Obama in Nevada today, laying out a four-part plan for comprehensive immigration reform
(via barackobama)

Rails in Realtime

Sun, 27 Jan 2013 23:36:24 +0000

layervault:

Update: We’ve written a complementary post that goes into more depth. Read this first and then check out Rails in Realtime, Part 2.

LayerVault is built using the popular web framework, Ruby on Rails. The framework, at times known for its divisiveness, has allowed LayerVault to grow from a single box to a swarm of machines over the past year. Recently, there has been a wave of great JavaScript-based frameworks that make creating a “realtime” app a cinch. Because LayerVault is a perfect facsimile of a team’s filesystem, having the web interface update immediately is incredibly important. Every ⌘R is two key presses too many. Finder doesn’t require you to refresh every time a file changes, why should a web app? We’re happy with Rails, so transitioning to Meteor, Ember.js or Backbone.js whole hog isn’t the right move for us.

The phrase “realtime” is thrown around about as much as “local” and “disruptive” these days, so the phrase is often ambiguous. For the purposes of this post, a “realtime” app is the following: page refreshes are not required to see the most up-to-date state of information and new information is communicated in tens of milliseconds instead of hundreds or thousands.

This blog post will cover some of the patterns that we use to allow LayerVault customers to never worry about pressing ⌘R. This is all done by using vanilla *.html.erb templates and never rendering any parts of the page using JavaScript. Once a database record is changed, that change appears in <500ms in a customer’s browser.

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Kyro Beshay: UX Idea: Real Turn-by-Turn Navigation

Thu, 13 Dec 2012 20:15:31 +0000

Kyro Beshay: UX Idea: Real Turn-by-Turn Navigation:

kyrobeshay:

The new Google Maps app was finally released, and I’m loving it so far, but it’s missing a feature I’ve been hoping to see map apps implement for some time. I have this problem where as soon as I pull up directions on my phone, whether right after entering my destination or getting out of the…

How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle

Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:53:45 +0000

How I got a YC interview as a single founder and blew it at the final hurdle :

stevegraham:

I’m currently 30,000 feet up in the sky, flying home after interviewing unsuccessfully for the W13 batch. I would like to share my experiences with you, illustrating what I did right, i.e. to be one of the select few to be invited to Mountain View as a solo founder; and what I did wrong, i.e. why…

Steve Grahams YC application story, must read.

"It pays off in your life when you’re in an elevator and people are uncomfortable. You can just say,..."

Sat, 01 Dec 2012 19:00:45 +0000

“It pays off in your life when you’re in an elevator and people are uncomfortable. You can just say, “That’s a beautiful scarf.” It’s just thinking about making someone else feel comfortable. You don’t worry about yourself, because we’re vibrating together. If I can make yours just a little bit groovier, it’ll affect me. It comes back, somehow.”

- Bill Murray, Star of ‘Hyde Park on Hudson’ - NYTimes.com (via rickwebb)

Publishers shouldn't be app developers by David of 37signals

Mon, 26 Nov 2012 21:39:33 +0000

Publishers shouldn't be app developers by David of 37signals:

(via Instapaper)

"Live in the future, then build what’s missing."

Thu, 22 Nov 2012 11:47:10 +0000

“Live in the future, then build what’s missing.”

- PG (via brycedotvc)

You Just Have To Do Something

Sun, 18 Nov 2012 01:37:39 +0000

jonathanmoore:

Throughout life we are impacted with moments that are rich with meaning and significance. Regardless of the joy or sorrow that these moments create, it is our job to listen and respond. This summer I was given the gift of one of those profound moments.

On a warm August afternoon, my wife and I invited some close friends over for lunch to spend the day swimming in our pool. We were in the water playing with our kids, watching them one-up each other jumping in, and playing all the usual games.

One of the times my daughter climbed out to jump back in, she cried out in pain after stepping on a bee. As soon as I pulled out the stinger left behind in her foot, one by one more bees began to swarm. Thinking that the dead bee was attracting others, I picked it up and went inside to throw it away.

The moment I opened the trash in the kitchen I heard my wife scream outside. It wasn’t an ordinary scream. I look outside right at the moment she was diving into the water. Racing outside I was certain that she was being attacked by the aggressive bees.

I made it to the edge of the water right when she was coming up. My heart sank. In her arms was our little boy, blue and lifeless.

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Soundboy: The 10X Hustler

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:27:33 +0000

Soundboy: The 10X Hustler:

soundboy:

I first heard about Paul Graham through his essays. Prior to YC’s brand becoming the international juggernaut it is today, the essays were what lead Michelle, Pete and me to apply to YC. One of Paul’s essays that really stood out for me was How to Make Wealth, and in particular the concept that…

Soundboy: A co-founder's guide to Biz Dev

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 17:27:26 +0000

Soundboy: A co-founder's guide to Biz Dev:

soundboy:

I wrote a post a few weeks back about the concept of a 10X Hustler which unexpectedly got over 10k page views. Since then I’ve seen a few other pieces about the nature of BD - I loved this one in particular by another YC alum, Chris Steiner about how Biz Dev is a clever name for dirty work….

Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Absolutely blown away by this movie.

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 00:50:54 +0000

Jiro Dreams of Sushi. Absolutely blown away by this movie.

Early sketches from the web's finest

Wed, 14 Nov 2012 23:09:27 +0000

layervault:

Pen and paper

Most designers are accustomed to starting their work on paper. If you’re a designer, you’ve probably got a notebook or two sitting around with random brilliant sketches. Often the initial sketches themselves are something to be proud of — and it’s a shame that no one ever sees them.

Have you ever wondered what others’ sketches look like? We did. When designers put pen to paper the results are quite different. We’ll show you.

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Measure Anything, Measure Everything « Code as Craft

Sun, 11 Nov 2012 21:39:42 +0000

Measure Anything, Measure Everything « Code as Craft:

(via Instapaper)

Pondering Whatsapp — Benedict Evans

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:17:25 +0100

Pondering Whatsapp — Benedict Evans:

(via Instapaper)

Scott Chacon on the Interwebs

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:14:17 +0100

Scott Chacon on the Interwebs:

(via Instapaper)

Divergence — LayerVault Blog

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 13:08:27 +0100

Divergence — LayerVault Blog:

(via Instapaper)

Jack's: Let's reconsider our "users"

Wed, 17 Oct 2012 21:18:54 +0100

Jack's: Let's reconsider our "users":

jacks:

us·er
/ˈyo͞ozər/

Noun
1. A person who uses or operates something, esp. a computer or other machine.
2. A person who takes illegal drugs; a drug user.

Synonyms
consumer

During a Square Board meeting, our newest Director Howard Schultz, pulled me aside and asked a simple question.

“Why…

This has always bothered me, it’s great to see Jack talking about something most people would dismiss as trivial.

Don't Launch | LinkedIn

Sat, 13 Oct 2012 13:44:17 +0100

Don't Launch | LinkedIn:

(via Instapaper)