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Scott, appreciate the feedback. And I've gotten several pieces of feedback like yours. And, to some extent, I agree with you.

I would never send a note to my grandmother trying to deceive her. Nor will I send these to my family.

But... If I interview with a dozen people over a weekend. I might come out of each interview, and bang out a thank you note on the spot - while the conversation is fresh in my mind.

Or... If I meet with a dozen people at a company I'm selling my product to, I might follow up with individual notes thanking them for their time.

This will never replace the thank you notes you already send - it will simply enable you to send more thank you notes to people who are still deserving.

Again. thanks for the feedback.

Got it - thanks.

Basically this... slightly differently - but this: http://loganrandolph.com/blog/2014/2/4/want-an-internship-in...

If you guys want to try it. I'll give it to ya for $3. Just send the email/note. Then I reply to request payment.

I also hadn't realized that this was possible.

Again, there are reasons for the things you are doing - I understand this. And there are ways to get around your block - but take the feedback.

If one person says it here, it means that dozens had the same reaction and just decided not to voice it.

Interesting... Yeah, that is pretty consistent across other platforms too. Has it always been like this? I hadn't noticed this until recently.

I believe you. But I had the same reaction as mkaziz. And was about to comment on this.

So I think the takeaway is that people are turned off by this - and you can convince people on HN that you won't abuse it. But not everywhere.

And, with a million products attempting to take my time - anything that makes me hesitate (like that I have to allow you to "update my profile") is enough to turn me off.

By NFLX co-founder. Written when stock plummeted from 300 to 100 in 2011.

Colleges aren't the only ones at fault. They are part of the equation.

I'm also saying that the tools available to the student are weak or outdated.

I am moaning about pen and paper. And perhaps the biggest problem with my post is that I have no constructive suggestion.

But I am most certainly not saying that the current technology is better: far from it. I agree that writing on black boards is better than powerpoint. I agree that books are better than ebooks. I agree that video isn't necessarily the answer, and that it won't necessarily help the younger generations learn more efficiently.

I'm purely commenting on the fact that nothing is better than pen and paper and a chalkboard (and Microsoft word for writing long peppers). I am saying that I've tried tons of new technologies in education and they all suck. And I'm asking why this is the case. Can we truly not do any better?

Writing on paper does have problems: writing by hand isn't fast. Paper is not backed up. Paper is not easy to share or edit. Paper is not searchable. Notebooks require physical space. Some cannot read others handwriting. These aren't major problems. But they are problems.

Listen, I'm not saying your systems don't work. I'm just saying they are still far from perfect. And still so close to their predecessors.

People writing textbooks these day understand the people will read them on computers and iPads. But they don't change anything. We read ebooks, but they are EXACTLY the same. Sure, they work. But why don't they work better.

Like I said, why don't they incorporate videos? Customized problem sets based on what I don't understand?

I hear you. I too love paper. I too am astounded by the versatility, simplicity and beauty of it. It will not be replaced for my personal notebooks. And yes, something to replace pen and paper would have to be astounding.

But I still have problems with pen and paper.

I like the ability to add to notes and change them. Professors sometimes meander about in lectures, and I sometimes want to reorganize the ideas they present.

You cannot search efficiently with paper. I have terrible hand writing on paper. Papers wrinkle and drive me crazy. I write slower than I type - and it's assumed (by professors) that people are typing so they teach at that speed (ppt doesn't help). Paper cannot be as easily shared as documents.

You're right. I should also say that I go to a liberal arts college.

And you're right - Comp sci classes (and hard skill studies) are more modern.

But even so, in my CS 101 class, I read from two textbooks every night. And a third of each class was spent on powerpoint. Slightly ironic.

>Because it works, is why.

"It works." Is a low bar. We should strive for higher. Especially at some of the best schools in the country and the world.

Also, didn't the typewriter work? Didn't the flip phone "work"? Lots of products and processes work. But people still strive to make them better, easier and more delightful. But, for some reason, not in education.

I agree with your point. Institutions have been slow. And will be slow. I'm not complaining about this...

I'm more complaining about why nothing has been done outside of institutions.

Why haven't private companies created technology and services to serve students? For example: Why does half my class take notes with a pen and paper, and the other half use Microsoft word? Shouldn't a private company find a better way?

I think this should be a major difference. Your normal workflow is sending thank you notes from email. Now you can do that, but the result is a beautifully hand written note. From anywhere.

There are huge differences between great startups and mediocre startups. This is just the same as at large companies.

With regard to this comment: there is nothing wrong with "spending time at a large company, benefitting from their experience in graduate intake, learning a lot of good, sensible practises, then applying them to a startup."

That is true. But there is also nothing wrong spending time at a small startup, learning good sensible practices, learning from smart people, learning from making mistakes, THEN applying these skills at large companies.

People often say "You'll learn a ton at amazon, then you can work anywhere." That is true, but you can also learn a lot if you work for a great startup.

The idea that you learn more at big companies is planted in students brains at these career fairs. And when GS and BofA come to campus to recruit. The idea spreads because startups don't come to campus and preach the reverse.

tea-pot-ism is a slightly more interesting example.

I'm not sure the total number of hours spent. I spent between 20 mins and an hour and 20 with these people.

I usually said I could meet for coffee or lunch and let them pick the place. The location usually signaled to me how long the meeting would be - coffee at starbucks is the shortest and nice lunch restaurant is longest.

If you are going to be in the US for a week, you could try to fill that week with meetings. You can probably get two or three a day if you play your cards right.

If not, you can try to chat by phone. It's harder - but still doable.

BUT... because you are a technical guy (I read your website) - the process could be different for you...

I would start the same way: ask around to figure out what you really want to do - this is universal. Then, with this information, I would craft a short email (describing what you want, and your technical skills) that is easy for people to forward - and send it around.

Good luck. And reach out with any questions. Happy to help. - lrandolph (at) middlebury.edu

“If someone says: That's impossible.

You should understand it as: According to my very limited experience and narrow understanding of reality, that's very unlikely” -Paul Buchheit

This is an incredibly broad question. There are tons of different ways to start.

I'd start be reading The Lean Startup by Eric Ries.

I think the most interesting bit is that it decreases a sort of self fulfilling prophecy.

Investors "treat investment by YC partners as an accurate sign of how promising we thought a startup was." So then, the company raises more money - and appears to look more promising.

Sure, partners may have less incentive immediately (as mathattack said) - but the real winners will be more clear to the partners after demo day (and three weeks).

They will have a list of winners (in their mind) before demo day. Then, investors at demo day will pick a list of winners (who they invest in). And YC partners will see the overlap - those who are picked as winners by YC Partners and independent investors.

Yes, the identity aspect is interesting. Medium seems to be focused on pleasing readers. The whole site is designed to read one article to the next. Often from different authors. This might make reading easier, but might not be best for writers.

Svbtle does have that aspect (it calls itself "a new kind of magazine"), but seems to put a lot of energy into pleasing the writers.

It feels to me that they did build this for a certain type of person. One who likes writing without distractions. One who likes to brainstorm. One who appreciates simplicity.

I assume that the initial product was built around the "seasoned and experienced authors" who initially populated the site. And the founder, Dustin Curtis.

It seems that this was built for a very small group of people. But like many products that start out with a small number of people who love it... this could also be appreciated and used by others.

I am not a serious writer, but I hate writing in square spaces ui because its distracting. I might not have been able to articulate this because I'm not a serious writer - But in hind sight I realize that I usually write in word and then paste into squarespace. Svbtle eliminates this process - it makes writing simpler.

So yes. Built for a specific sub set. But with features that everyone can appreciate.

When I tell people I'm working on a project - they tell me how great it could be as a business. When I tell people I'm working on a business - they tell me its not a business; its a project. Weird observation about human natures desire to conflict/correct? Or something more?

I am your target customer (I think), I hate carrying around things in my pocket. But, this product doesn't really solve the issue. There are plenty of cases that hold cards... this case has a unique feature - it pops out cards mechanically. This doesn't solve the initial pain point. Infact, in my opinion, it adds a layer of complexity to a simple task. Now in order to eject a card, I need to open my phone (with password), open an app (I already have too many applications), find the card, then push eject. Not only is this more complex, but it's one more thing in my life that seems finicky. Something that could break, run out of battery, jam, etc - a simple card holder is a lot more appealing to me. I think you have a cool feature (can see where you left your card), but I'm not sure its enough.

Again, these are my thoughts. I don't know your business. Maybe I'm not your target customer. Wish you the best of luck as you move forward and figure things out. Hope this helps.

Really interesting. Says we might do this unintentionally (because can't recognize talent). Or subconsciously. But doesn't suggest that we do this consciously... I wonder how often this happens.

and I know you asked for design/engineering advice - But thought content stuff could be helpful too.

Great stuff. Biggest issue I have is the "about section" is way too long. A huge block of text is tough to get through - it's not inviting. ALSO think a photo of you would make it more personal.ALSO I'd put a few sub points under each bullet in "work experience" ALSO I'd center the three projects in the "projects" section. Overall, great job. For more thoughts - feel free to check out my site - LoganRandolph.com