1. 25 October 2005

    Wellstone

    1776 days ago

    I just watched Wellstone!, and you’d better go see it yourself. Wellstone died three years ago today.

    These days, with fucking baboons dominating american politics, I’d sure love to see a guy like Paul show his face.

  2. 11 October 2005

    1791 days ago

    What I Did this Summer

    I think in some cases it’s not so much that they [23 year olds] lack the appetite for work, but that the work they’re offered is unappetizing.

    I couldn’t agree more. I dropped my physics class, not because it was hard, nor disinteresting, but because for two hours a week we copied numbers off the board into xcel (the prof called it a lab!). I wrote two midterm papers last night. Bang bang. They were actually fun to write – I just wish I had the onus to write one every week.

    I think the problem here is much the same as with the apparent laziness of people this age. They seem lazy because the work they’re given is pointless, and they act irresponsible because they’re not given any power.

    I applied to the WFP, and hope to god I can get in. I’m probably screwed because I applied alone, I just don’t know anyone I’d want to live and work with for three months. But college is really getting to me – the only real way I’m passing the time are the two jobs I managed to get: one in php and one with rails, I won’t say the extracurricular is bad, but I’m the kind of kid who needs to be doing something interesting and challenging on top of teenage schmoozing.

    Indeed, one quality all the founders shared this summer was a spirit of independence. I’ve been wondering about that. Are some people just a lot more independent than others, or would everyone be this way if they were allowed to?

    via Kjell Olsen1791 days ago

  3. 30 September 2005

    1801 days ago

    Quotes

    from Paul Graham. Also a collection on what looks like his personal site, which seems to be a well kept secret...

    Kjell Olsen1801 days ago

  4. 1801 days ago

    2006 Winter Founders Program

    Even if your startup ultimately fails, we think the WFP is a better alternative to a job for ambitious young hackers. You’ll learn way more than you would in most jobs, and you’ll probably meet more interesting people. You’ll be able to work where you want, when you want, instead of having to show up every morning at some office building full of cubicles. You’ll get to work on your own projects, using the tools you like, instead of dealing with legacy code. And because it’s difficult to get into this program, being able to say on your resume that you were a Winter Founder should carry more weight than an ordinary job.

    via Kjell Olsen1801 days ago

  5. 14 September 2005

    1818 days ago

    Wired News: Stars Rise at Startup Summer Camp

    Wired writeup on the results of Y Combinator summer founder program.

    via Kjell Olsen1818 days ago

  6. 08 August 2005

    1855 days ago

    What Business Can Learn from Open Source

    It’s not that Microsoft isn’t trying. They know controlling the browser is one of the keys to retaining their monopoly. The problem is the same they face in operating systems: they can’t pay people enough to build something better than a group of inspired hackers will build for free.

    That is one of the key tenets of professionalism. Work and life are supposed to be separate. But that part, I’m convinced, is a mistake.

    via Kjell Olsen1855 days ago

  7. 29 March 2005

    1986 days ago

    Return of the Mac

    Paul Graham on why macs kick ass these days.

    And open and good is what Macs are again, finally. The intervening years have created a situation that is, as far as I know, without precedent: Apple is popular at the low end and the high end, but not in the middle. My seventy year old mother has a Mac laptop. My friends with PhDs in computer science have Mac laptops. [2] And yet Apple’s overall market share is still small.
    Though unprecedented, I predict this situation is also temporary.

    via Kjell Olsen1986 days ago

  8. 23 March 2005

    1993 days ago

    Summer Founders Program

    Paul Graham comes out with a program to fund startups – looks cool, but I don’t think I could do it this summer. Sounds like it would rock though!

    via Kjell Olsen1993 days ago

  9. Also somewhat recently

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