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> Hopefully 2 Stanford CS PhD students hacking on their project would be funded by YC today :) Around the dawn of YC, IIRC, when PG did the "summer founders" o

by neilv 3y ago

> Hopefully 2 Stanford CS PhD students hacking on their project would be funded by YC today :) Around the dawn of YC, IIRC, when PG did the "summer founders" or something like that, a group of 4 of us Lisp hackers applied as a team. No response. We were mostly in grad student-like lifestyle modes, and not tied down, were energetic, and already had various applicable experience. But I think PG was mostly looking for barely-20 year-olds to drop out of college, rent an apartment in Harvard Square together, and sit around hacking in towels. Since that's what he wrote in one article. Which I guess trumped the article in which he said Lisp hackers are great for startups. Now his latest article says he's going after 14 and 15 year-olds. :)

deleted 3y ago
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eastbound 3y ago
I always wonder about the success rate of advice. Do we have any student from this talk of PG who succeeded later in life? Joined an ivy league school? Proceeded to create a startup? Had success with it? Don’t get me wrong. This folklore is extremely important, if not just to raise the grades of one student. But as a founder, when I give advice, out of inflated ego generally, I also have vertigo from the height of everything that could go wrong about being mistaken about my advice.
- holmesworcester 3y ago
  I feel that worry too, but I can validate his advice, somewhat. I'm 44 and spent most of my career working individually and with my closest friends on projects that felt interesting, and it went really well for us in all of the ways. I also met these friends at a selective school, though it was a state-funded high school (massacademy.org), not a university. Also, someone once came to my very conventional elementary school in 5th grade on career day to talk about a very unconventional career path (being a full-time peace activist) and this had a huge impact on me, both because it validated activism as a career and perhaps more importantly because it validated not having a normal job. Getting a very short lecture in school from an interesting non-teacher can be at least very memorable and perhaps life-changing.
- ninkendo 3y ago
  > Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. (Excerpt from the “wear sunscreen” speech: http://plodplod.blogspot.com/2006/07/advice-like-youth-probably-just-wasted.html?m=1 http://plodplod.blogspot.com/2006/07/advice-like-youth-proba...)

by neilv 3y ago

deleted 3y ago

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eastbound 3y ago

I always wonder about the success rate of advice. Do we have any student from this talk of PG who succeeded later in life? Joined an ivy league school? Proceeded to create a startup? Had success with it? Don’t get me wrong. This folklore is extremely important, if not just to raise the grades of one student. But as a founder, when I give advice, out of inflated ego generally, I also have vertigo from the height of everything that could go wrong about being mistaken about my advice.

holmesworcester 3y ago
I feel that worry too, but I can validate his advice, somewhat. I'm 44 and spent most of my career working individually and with my closest friends on projects that felt interesting, and it went really well for us in all of the ways. I also met these friends at a selective school, though it was a state-funded high school (massacademy.org), not a university. Also, someone once came to my very conventional elementary school in 5th grade on career day to talk about a very unconventional career path (being a full-time peace activist) and this had a huge impact on me, both because it validated activism as a career and perhaps more importantly because it validated not having a normal job. Getting a very short lecture in school from an interesting non-teacher can be at least very memorable and perhaps life-changing.
ninkendo 3y ago
> Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth. (Excerpt from the “wear sunscreen” speech: http://plodplod.blogspot.com/2006/07/advice-like-youth-probably-just-wasted.html?m=1 http://plodplod.blogspot.com/2006/07/advice-like-youth-proba...)