sachitgupta

I asked a similar question a while ago: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1697995

Going off the suggestions there, I decided to use the ZEND framework and I've been using the following book: http://amzn.com/1430218797

If you want to build a CMS project, I would highly recommend this book. The examples and code are really easy to follow. Good luck and feel free to email me if you have any questions!

(Note: I did have some RoR experience, but I was completely new to PHP)

EDIT: Curious to know - how does HN feel about starting with the ZEND framework?

My biggest challenge / resolution: Separate consumption and creation. Focus more on the latter.

You might find this helpful: http://www.solipsys.co.uk/new/PaulGrahamEssaysRanking.html?H...

Rules are just guidelines that are meant to be broken. How else can change happen?

This applies to all kinds of people who create (artists, designers, musicians etc.), not just programmers. Me personally, I get my best ideas in the shower or when I'm running.

I know Tim Ferriss gets a bad rep around here, but he has a very good solution to this: ask to work from home, get more work done and show that you produce more results when you work from home vs working in the office.

Scott Berkun (formerly of Microsoft and author of three bestsellers) did a talk at Ignite about this where he recorded himself writing an essay: http://www.scottberkun.com/blog/2010/video-how-to-write-1000...

Really interesting to see how much work even a 1000 essay takes!

I'm planning on doing something similar in a few years once I've saved up enough. Just curious - what is a good amount to have saved up to do something like this? Are you still planning on working while your traveling?

Two posts I found through googling:

http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/guide_to_seed_fund_incu...

http://kaljundi.com/2010/02/19/upcoming-startup-incubator-de...

I would say this is more naughty than dishonest. Definitely something I would use to answer the naughtiness question in the YC application.

When I was learning Rails last year, one of my favorite podcasts were Railscasts http://railscasts.com/

Also - a friend taught a StuCo (student-taught course) at CMU about programming, which included Rails. He still has the slides and assignments up, those might be useful too: http://www.cmurpg.com/

Thanks for writing this Spencer. I asked about "What does a biz person do at a startup" at the YC meetup; and your earlier article was brought up. Awesome sequel!

Haha Relevant: http://twitter.com/#!/wikileaks/status/11620256778821632

Similar discussion: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1978955

Thanks sir!

Eliminate the branch and let me do everything online / by phone. Reduce costs for the bank and give me better interest rates.

What is the criteria for this list? Some questionable inclusions that stand out: Chatroulette and Diaspora. Shouldn't companies included in a top 10 of all startups of the year be profitable, or at least be on the path to making money?

From the sellers perspective, suppose they plan to make $6000. If they price it at $6 - they need to sell 1000 copies, if they price it at $60 - they need to sell 100 copies. Which ones easier?

I've spent > $100 on ebooks or courses, and they've been immensely helpful. I guess it depends on how much you're willing to pay for the value you get.

How much do you think is enough?

Yup, that seems familiar.

Unlimited free shipping? :)

Has anyone used this and found it useful? It seems awesome from a geeky point of view but I'm still having a hard time understanding the value of it.

I disagree with your last point. Don't think of it as paying $10/book for "something I'm only going to read once", because its more than that. Essentially you're paying someone to work hard and labor on a topic you are interested in for years; and distill that years of research into a few hundred pages so that you don't have to do all the work.

Someone once told me that if you can get _1_ idea from a book that changes you're outlook on things; then it's worth it, and I agree. I don't understand how people can say $10 on a book is too much; you can friggin' spend more than that on one meal!

EDIT: And as eru said, if you still think its too much, join a library.

Practice. Practice. Practice. Make sure you're telling engaging stories. This might sound dorky - but at least one week before the talk, record yourself if you have a camera. You'll notice what you're doing wrong, and be able to practice again to fix it.

Also - try and give the presentation to someone who knows nothing about the topic (maybe even post one of the recordings to HN?) and make sure they completely understand what you're talking about. Sometimes we get so close to the topic, we don't realize we're using terms people don't know.

If you're looking for design inspiration for slides with less text, check out: http://noteandpoint.com/ They have an awesome collection!

Most importantly, remember most people who are amazing at presenting practice the shit out of what they're saying. Even Malcolm Gladwell scripts every word of his presentations [1].

[1] http://blogs.ft.com/rachmanblog/2010/02/the-secrets-of-malco...

EDIT: Also, I've bookmarked a bunch of links related to presentations: http://www.delicious.com/sachitgupta/presentation

EDIT2: Another tip - find a presentation you really like. Write down the text and record yourself trying to do that. After this - instead of just saying you want to present like Steve Jobs, you can see exactly what to improve on to present like him.

It was required 2nd semester Freshman year for all CS students.

(Hey Brian!)

Wow - this seemed strangely familiar, until I realized I was in the class! What sucks is that a lot of people found the solution and showed it to other classmates, but only the 1 person who found it got into trouble. (No, I wasn't one of the students who found it).

I'm not a coder; but I had a friend who would often code high or drunk. And in a very competitive CS program; he was very very good.

I agree. And at what point is this ingenious, rather than copying something that's already been done?

Susan (from Seth Godins six month MBA program) did something similar: http://main.susanhiresaboss.com/

I remember Harj touched on this at the YC meetup in New York. Was the decision to move from the UK to here easy?

Really excited for this. I didn't apply for Startup School so this is a great consolation. See you guys there!

EDIT: They're also going to be in Boston. Link: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1769801