So once again I take up the task of laying down some of my thoughts about the whole world, and why it kind of sucks, and why some parts of it are awesome. It is kind of an exercise in vanity to assume anyone is reading this, but I kind of enjoy going back and re-reading my ridiculous shit, especially the parts of it that almost made sense.
So what made me decide to start blathering on again? Unless you live under a rock which doesn't happen to get cable, newspapers, or radio, we are in some trouble. People are screaming their heads off about the end of the financial world as we know it, and some of it actually seems to have less than the usual amount of hyperbole.
But who cares? Programmers should. Yahoo! is not, nor has been for quite some time, a front runner for web searches. Their day in the sun passed a while back. But a 700-person layoff at a major tech company is a bad indicator for programmers in general. One can't help but wonder if the mini-bubble driven by Google's insanely high stock price might collapse under the weight of such dire financial news. If this happens, VC for web startups may evaporate.
However, since no one can predict the future, people are going to soldier on relentlessly with their startups. Really, there is little else to do. The odds are against success all along, what could a little recession do to the odds that would make them any worse?
EDIT: Looks like I'm not the only one curious about the recession's effects: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=101703
A VC blog I chanced upon a while ago contained this lovely epithet, which was a source of some consternation for one of the bloggers who felt that this phrase (used as an appraisal of the VC scene in NY) was too harsh.
And yet I can't help but think that it may be an apt description for the startup scene in Boston. My comrade Mr. John Watson wrote me an email yesterday with this content:
Were I in 'Frisco, I'd attend stupid shit like this: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=5907866589&ref=mf People say that Boston is a startup & technology hub. What am I missing? Is there initiative that needs taking?
After some thought, we decided we were right. There was initiative to be taken. And who better than some idiots who want to start a startup?
So I put it you, loyal MOCDL readers (all 2 of you). What should we Bostonians do? Who would be fun to invite to speak? Or would we be better off with just a meet and greet at a cool location?
Freddie Mercury said it best: spending all your time and money to keep yourself alive.
I would like to go on record saying that I wholly endorse the trend of super-bootstrapped startups such as 8coupons, which is featured in that article. It pleases me beyond measure to see people going to such lengths to pursue their startup goals. Quite frankly it makes me feel extremely lazy and underachieving, picturing these people cranking out code with steady jobs while I work piecemeal at best, with only a part-time programming job and some undergrad classes to distract me. I should seriously take a page out of their book and man up, crank out some code, and get shit done.
In fact, I think I will! Screw this blog, I'm going to work!
...right after I go out for some drinks at Beehive and hang out with my girlfriend. Having a girlfriend in Boston is dangerous to your work ethic!
One of the major dilemmas facing would-be entrepreneurs (at least judging by this thread at Hacker News) is whether or not to seek a co-founder once you have a viable idea.
Opinions differ pretty strongly about this. Paul Graham has espoused the feeling that startups with more than one founder are more likely to succeed. He goes on to suggest that two or three founders is the optimal amount. Many people seem to think that he is the king of all things startup, and so these same people think that his way is the only way.
Which leads to posts like this one. A bright guy is hesitant to start working on what is probably a good idea, all because he lacks a co-founder! This is the danger of relying too heavily on one theory of startups. This guy should probably just go ahead and start his idea, rather than look for a complete stranger to entrust half his company to.
On the other hand, there are also people like this. After reading that long-ass rant, I'd be disinclined to work with him as well. He seems to have a pretty high opinion of himself, and seems convinced of the brilliance of his idea to the point where he is unlikely to accept any criticism.
So what is the answer? You and your co-founder don't want to end up like Mr. White and Mr. Pink up there, at each other's throats with .45s. But if you go it alone, it is definitely harder.
As I posted in the thread, I think there is a middle ground. One should neither seek out a co-founder actively or ignore all potential co-founders. Just look amongst the people you have known for a few years or more, and decide if any of them share similar goals. If not, expand your horizons and look to meet some like-minded people -- not for co-founders, but to meet new friends. Among these, you may find a co-founder or you may not. Just continue to expand your network of friends, all the while working on your idea.
Just my two cents. Slow news day, and I actually had my coffee well in advance of posting today, so this is a much calmer entry.
10/22/07
This is my latest attempt at keeping things organized and people updated using a blog. I inevitably get bogged down in the implementation of my blog, because I grow bored with it or because I have too many other things to do on any particular day to write my thoughts or work down here.
Anyway, the idea is that if I catalog what is going on in my life on any given day I can keep better track of all my projects, and also keep other people involved in the projects updated. Of course I will probably just end up posting LOLCATs when intoxicated instead of useful content, but my heart is in the right place. I guess.
To get the ball rolling, I have to plug what I think is the only blog worth reading right now, which is Ted Dziuba and company's Uncov. This blog is ruthless in its skewering of various Web 2.0 startups, and it is all done in a style I admire. Also, if you are interested in more than just the trashing of half-assed startups, he has a list of Uncov-approved Web 2.0 garbage, some of which is truly useful. DivShare in particular is worth a look.
That's enough for today. I need to get some chicken in me.
Some links I added later:
http://www.uncov.com
http://www.divshare.com
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