4 ms·

I think I would have serious imposter syndrome. What was that like?

by Tempest1981 2y ago

drzaiusx11 2y ago
I was still just a "kid" at the time (early 20s, I'm over 40 now for context) so I was just excited to be working with folks that seemed to know what they were doing (as I clearly didn't.) Every day I was excited to go to work and absorb as much as I could. Richard and the other seniors were never condescending and everyone was able to communicate the inner workings of their systems to a naive kid straight out of college. The same project (nTAG Interactive LLC) also involved Brian Silverman who famously made a Babbage style mechanical computer capable of playing tick tac toe using only tinker toys for construction while he was still attending university. He also created the original Lego "computing brick" which ran Logo, a lisp-adjacent language, via interpreter/pcode vm he wrote using HC11 ASM (and later he ported to PIC for the "Cricket" robotics controller.) That brick project spun off into what is today Lego Mindstorms. So I've had the privilege of working with some very creative and intelligent folks over the years. I had only stumbled into the opportunity by way of working as an assistant at my local university's robotics lab (to help pay for undergrad) when my professor thought I would be a good fit for the MIT Media Lab startup opening. The job was a tremendously fun time and to this day I still think of it as my "favorite" work experience. Sadly, as with most startups, ours didn't make it when funding dried up, so the fun eventually ended. To be honest, I've been involved with a number of other early stage startups (and various larger size orgs) since and none have come close to the experience. There truly isn't anything better than being surrounded by folks who are masters at their craft and are willing to help you learn.
- Tempest1981 2y ago
  Appreciate you taking the time to share -- it's great to hear about the rich experiences... even if business aspect didn't make everyone rich.

I think I would have serious imposter syndrome. What was that like?

I was still just a "kid" at the time (early 20s, I'm over 40 now for context) so I was just excited to be working with folks that seemed to know what they were doing (as I clearly didn't.) Every day I was excited to go to work and absorb as much as I could. Richard and the other seniors were never condescending and everyone was able to communicate the inner workings of their systems to a naive kid straight out of college. The same project (nTAG Interactive LLC) also involved Brian Silverman who famously made a Babbage style mechanical computer capable of playing tick tac toe using only tinker toys for construction while he was still attending university. He also created the original Lego "computing brick" which ran Logo, a lisp-adjacent language, via interpreter/pcode vm he wrote using HC11 ASM (and later he ported to PIC for the "Cricket" robotics controller.) That brick project spun off into what is today Lego Mindstorms. So I've had the privilege of working with some very creative and intelligent folks over the years. I had only stumbled into the opportunity by way of working as an assistant at my local university's robotics lab (to help pay for undergrad) when my professor thought I would be a good fit for the MIT Media Lab startup opening. The job was a tremendously fun time and to this day I still think of it as my "favorite" work experience. Sadly, as with most startups, ours didn't make it when funding dried up, so the fun eventually ended. To be honest, I've been involved with a number of other early stage startups (and various larger size orgs) since and none have come close to the experience. There truly isn't anything better than being surrounded by folks who are masters at their craft and are willing to help you learn.

Tempest1981 2y ago
Appreciate you taking the time to share -- it's great to hear about the rich experiences... even if business aspect didn't make everyone rich.