I think there's something to be said for being informed and a bit well-rounded. Bill Joy may be one of the greatest C hackers of all time, but his NerdTV inter

I think there's something to be said for being informed and a bit well-rounded. Bill Joy may be one of the greatest C hackers of all time, but his NerdTV interview was one of the most boring things I've ever watched. I think today it is vital for hackers to stay informed because the investors are also far more sophisticated and you need relevant information to help you get what you want. If all you want to do all day is write code, then unrelated news that doesn't expand your thinking is a waste of time. However, in that case you need a co-founder who does keep on top of everything and will represent your interests as strongly as you would have. Besides that, I can't even count how many all-night debugging sessions were a product of the creeping IQ drop and would have taken all of 20 minutes the next day on normal sleep.