Right, but a majority of those non-English speakers in Canada are in Quebec speaking French. I can't imagine there's that much of an IQ difference between French- and Anglo-Canadians...
306 karma · joined March 7, 2010
I think O'Neill believes Monsanto to be a far worse company than pg (or I, for that matter) do. It's an agrochemical company that does engage in strong-arm legal tactics, but at the same time, it's not on the level of IBM working with the Germans in the 1930's. O'Neill does have a point in that in a free society, consumers have a right to choose which products to purchase and which companies to support, and if they want to politicize that decision it is entirely their right to do so. pg would likely agree with statement. So the only real disagreement between the two would probably come down to how "bad" a company Monsanto is, in their view. pg obviously views it in a far more benign light than O'Neill does.
the "99%" talk is irrelevant. The 99'ers focus seems to be (or should be) on the parasitic nature of Wall Street and their close relationship to the Treasury Dept. and the Federal Reserve, and not on corporate ethics in general.
I hope Woz gets a similar level of recognition and mourning when he passes (decades into the future, hopefully)
"do not go gentle into that good night, rage, rage against the dying of the light. "
also, the Apple homepage really is beautiful in its simplicity. I hope they leave it like this for awhile.
plus it's not scalable, so it's difficult to make a lot of money, unless the food is so good or unique that you can franchise it. But I'm guessing the appeal of Elan has more to do with the atmosphere than the menu...
Anyway, it doesn't matter, the reason the landlord is raising the rent is because he/she assumes that there is someone willing to pay more for the space, which indicates that there is a more economically viable operation that can be run in that area than that particular restaurant.
Detroit is like seeing 'Atlas Shrugged' in real life. The unions drove away the business, and the blacks drove away the whites. So basically all the productive people left, and now the only professionals left are the criminals. Bing is a good mayor, but it's too little too late. Only Robocop can save Detroit now.
Perhaps YC should focus more on attracting guys in their 30's or 40's? You'll end up with candidates who are more grounded and who will have a better idea of the risks they are entering into. They might also come up with better business and consumer solutions than the youths that typically apply. It might be worth trying out, even just as an experiment,to have one of your funding rounds be set aside exclusively for those who are 30+
And if you do start another venture in the future, this experience can be an asset, and one day you will look back on this as a trial you had to go through
The reality is, most college grads are coming out with 5 or 6 figure student loan debt. Repayment starts within 6 months. You NEED to find a job to start repaying that. If you decide to go the full entrepreneurial route and end up missing even one payment, then you can go into immediate default and fines will be added, and your credit score will be impacted. If and when your entrepreneurial venture fizzles (as most do), you will have a tough time finding a job outside the startup community, because your low credit score and possible wage garnishment issues is a red flag to the pinheads in Human Resources.
This is reality, and I think kids in their 20's who go the startup route straight from college should be made aware of the risks.
So here's my steps to you for changing things around:
1) Completely revamp your resume, and to stop referring to yourself as unemployed. You were self-employed.
2) write down a list of all the competitors your startup had that are located nearby. Find out the phone numbers/emails to the higher ups in those companies through web searching.
3) phone or email those guys, and say that you are writing a freelance article about the industry. Say you want to interview them for their expertise (all guys love to have their ego's stroked: that's the way to get that introduction you want).
4) during the interview (preferably in person, or by phone), ask them some general questions about the industry, and mention that you had attempted to do a startup in the field but failed. Try to ask questions related to how their business succeeded, in order to compare and contrast with your own experiences. Ask them to give you advice on whether to pursue another startup in this field (even though you may have no intention of doing so) or look for a job in the industry.
Now at this point, it can go 1 of 2 ways. If you're lucky, the other person may see your interest for the field, and ask to see some of your work. If it's good, you will probably move to the top of the pile when a new hire is needed. If that doesn't happen, then repeat as necessary with every other company.
That's a better bet than anything else out there, don't waste your time with the craigslist blackhole
By essentially allowing their sponsors to decide what's going to be on their front page, they've changed digg from a crowdsourced editorial board to a sponsored RSS feed. I can't remember the last time a .com made such a shortsighted decision....I can't see digg even being around in a few years after this.
Speaking as a 28 year who has not yet "grown up" (as defined by the nytimes), I think those of us who find ourselves in this situation shouldn't seek to blame anyone else, least of all the baby boomers. We should remember the good things that the baby boom generation in America has done, like:
- protesting the Vietnam war, which was started and heavily supported by the "greatest generation"
- pushing for Civil Rights legislation in the U.S. for women and minorities
- creating greater awareness of environmental problems, and spreading the belief that we must be proper stewards of our planet, not only for own survival but also for future generations
- developing the computer hardware, software and telecommunications industries, which has made an incredibly positive change in the lives of billions (including all of us here who have these advancements to thank for our livelihood)
basically, it says that it's better to try to create something that you want, because when you're young you will have a very difficult time understanding what someone else wants. Also, you are more likely to be motivated if you are creating something for yourself. Creating something for someone else is too much like work (without the salary)
-Michael Caine
That's a very statist way of thinking, which is what Austrian/libertarians are opposed to. No libertarian should care about "rebuilding a nation's glory" because that's the sort of rhetoric heard from authoritarian nations.
It is natural for people to want to consume. The reason people produce is so that they can be able to consume later on. What the article states is that removing patent protection from society (which is in line with removing government interference in business) is feasible, because the originators of content/ideas would still be able to profit by branding and earlier entrance into the marketplace, as opposed to expecting a government-sanctioned monopoly.
Sometimes we forget about the social benefits communism has provided in certain parts of the world. I have no doubt, for example, that Afghanistan would be far healthier, wealthier and more advanced today if the Russians were not driven out in the 80s.
The majority of the anonymous-posting news sites I have visited have been filled with trollish, often misspelled comments (on a side note: I think there must be a direct relationship between how poor a speller one is and their political leanings..). The NYTimes is the only major news source where I have found the majority of the online comments to have been written in a legible manner.
If HN grows too big or unruly to manage, I fully expect pg to implement credit card registration as well...
I agree that building a company to quickly flip or IPO is going to be increasingly difficult, but that doesn't mean there isn't room for growth and innovation in the field. After all, MS started during the recession of the 70's...
Anyway, I think he seems like an all around decent guy, and I admire anyone who has the guts to turn down a billion from Yahoo (especially at his age, and on his first business!) That shows vision and confidence, so I think he's the perfect CEO for Fb (which will likely one day have a market cap greater than Yahoo).
Now, you could get someone else to write it, and simply tell him the details and plot points you want, but without knowing how to read English, how would you know whether the story flowed right and was succinct?
Reddit appeals primarily (but not exclusively) to young males in their 20's and 30's. As a subgroup, they tend to lean libertarian, which is why they are more accepting of recreational drug use.
Reddit has a bright future, but maybe not with CN. They don't know how to monetize it properly, and they seem to be tethered to the glossy world of magazines. Considering the success Tina Brown has had in moving away from that via The Daily Beast, it looks like IAC would be a better fit for Reddit than CN.
My guess is that this is the brilliant idea of the McKinsey guys, whom CN has asked to streamline their operations. Some bean counter MBA probably suggested that Reddit be put on an austerity program, and if CN keeps listening to them then Reddit won't have much of a future.