localhost3000

this "us against them" mentality seems to really be picking up steam these days. it doesn't make sense to me. for every "successful" computer geek there is a successful banker, lawyer, politician or any other traditionally mainstream-sexy profession. CEOs tend to be extremely charismatic...not exactly a trait associated with "revenge of the nerds."

this fixation on popularity seems to exist as strongly in the tech world as it did in my high school. I mean, christ, our two biggest web services right now (fb & tw) are entirely, "look at me! pay attention to me!"

I agree. Very sad to see this die. It's something the world desperately needs and I had hoped a co like Google could make it happen...

Totally with you. Cute idea but pales in comparison as a listening experience to Pandora.

However - if they can get some brand-name DJs on there with a known style (or grow some) I think the value prop changes for me. Right now it's "experience what it's like to be a cool dj!" Which is great for the dj but bad for everyone else in the likely event that the current dj is not in fact a 'cool dj'

Down votes for referencing a movie?? My point was, if even Hollywood has already covered this then it is a long long way from a new idea and not exactly 'news'...

Didn't they make a movie about this starring Bruce Willis?

I agree wholeheartedly - there are plenty of jobs that suck in any industry and, likewise, there are plenty of jobs to be proud of. The blanket statement that "in this country, government jobs are embarrassing" is extremely unfair and, well, ignorant.

p.s. I do not work for the Gov't.

Wait - Are you talking about the US? If so, how is having a government job an embarrassment? Gosh, it must be so shameful to work for the White House, the FBI, the Treasury, Homeland Security, the Military, the CIA, the Senate, the Justice Department, the Supreme Court...What sap would ever want to be president? /sarcasm

Even the USPS has more impact than the vast majority of SV startups...combined. Just sayin'.

I worked for a content site that ultimately failed. We tried to do high quality content. Even paying writers a decent wage. Ultimately it devolved into what you read here, chasing PVs with provocative and borderline false headlines. Quality takes a back seat as soon as you realize you're bleeding money. It was really sad to see and became a soul-crushing environment. Very very tough business.

just to be clear, I am a "biz guy" who also happens to write usable code...I am the last one to discount the value of "the biz guy." So there.

who would you rather work with, a "biz guy" who has built a prototype that can't scale or a "biz guy" who has been talking about an idea for 3 months but doing nothing?

toughest part is dealing with sig. other who'd really like to have a nice meal every once in awhile and wonders aloud when she learns of your friends/peers who make six figures in "real jobs"... "Maybe you should go to law school?" <-- have you heard that one? cringe

It would be interesting to see a program like Y Combinator reserve 2 or 3 spots annually for graduating MBAs. After a few years, we could have a debate rooted in real, comparative results.

There are plenty of MBAs who have started financially successful businesses. Most would not be websites, however. I think selection bias is the big culprit here. The majority of MBA students don't actually intend on starting a company, so you end up with a population in which 95% don't give a damn about SV or Hacker News - so the broader startup community groups the 5% that do care in with the others.

Other thing to consider: The majority of people entering an MBA program worked for several years out of college in XYZ big bank, consulting firm, or fortune 500 co. A good number have likely never been faced with "get shit done. on your own. NOW!" - they've been socialized to push papers, write reports, and trust that somewhere down the line some factory worker actually puts a widget in a box and ships it to some paying customer in Phoenix.

It does seem, anecdotally, anyway, that there is a shift happening in B-schools with more students taking seriously the thought of doing something on their own. Keep in mind, it is insanely tough to get into a top-tier b-school, so there is quite a bit of raw intelligence there that could be put to good use. I think you start with a group project that actually designs, builds, and launches a product, no matter how small or trivial.

I don't get it. I found rails 3 exceptionally easy to learn. Sass is a dream. It's what css should have been. Haml has its annoyances but in general is great. Both of these are also exceptionally easy to learn. I love where rails is going.

Good post. The fact of the matter is that, these days, learning to code well enough to make a web site/app is not hard, it just takes time and determination. I've gone through a similar process - my motto has been "learn as much useful stuff as possible" e.g. Rails, Ajax, jquery, image editing, design principles, wireframes, mockups, git, sass, haml, mobile frameworks... Have a good idea AND be useful from day 1. That should be the goal. It's what I'm working toward, anyways.

I've learned more reading Dostoevsky than I ever have writing code. One is practical knowledge that might lead to a paycheck, the other is depth of knowledge that (for me) leads to a fulfilling and well-rounded life. The value is not mutually exclusive.

Is it April 1 already?

This is extraordinarily sad news. Shame on the posters here who seem to be taking delight in judgment. The guy is dead, grow up.

And those graduates are the ones who didn't get their money's worth, can't find decent work, and are largely pissed off at their plight. Now, whose fault is that? I say it's the kid just as much (or more) as it is the institution. There are plenty of people who put it the effort and are entirely satisfied with their education.

i started learning to code in December/January. I've been pleasantly surprised by how helpful I've found people to be in places like #rubyonrails, #jquery, ...

I come across a random jerk here or there, or just some snarky, passive-aggressive commentary from time to time from otherwise OK people. I find if I am nice, humble, and honest about my abilities/intentions, people are generally nice in response.

Sarcasm has proven to be pretty successful on the web, which doesn't help your cause. How many successful blogs were built on a glib and critical tone? Being a jackass is an easy way to differentiate...I think this influences the general discourse on the web, especially among the savvy. That said, from what I remember, "web people" were far more ruthless 15 years ago.

they earn money on impressions, don't they?

Google reader gives me exactly what I want in an rss reader. I can't imagine switching... Like all things, you can't please everyone.

kind of like a bank run on startups? scary thought

gotta crank those page views, my man.

What's the point? Is there more going on in Silicon Valley than here in Boston? Yes, of course. Does that mean nothing interesting happens in Boston? No, of course not.

For my money MIT is singularly the most interesting place on the planet (and I didn't even go there). Spend a half hour walking around the Media Lab and tell me Boston sucks. I dare you.

It's impossible to feel sorry for this guy. How could you ever think this was a good idea?

This is great. I visited for the first time this past summer and spent most of the day on CalTrain with no clue where to go other than Stanford.

I spent six months in Christchurch as an undergrad. Amazing place. Even better people. Surrounded by the most beautiful country you'll ever see.

Do it.

Worked at a failed startup that invested rather heavily in a PR firm. We received top tier press but it never came close to paying off from any business POV. It felt nice, but running out of money felt like shit...I do think there is a critical mass of press that can propel a co to success or atleast longevity, take for instance Quora, or twitter a few years ago. Unfortunately most will never hit that tipping point where the press can compound on itself and translate into growth.

as it stands, Yahoo! Answers is currently far more useful to the world than Quora. This may change as Quora grows and builds a broader audience, but in terms of value delivered to # of people, it isn't even close...