4 ms·

The hurricane wasn't a surprise... the effects shouldn't have been a surprise. If you're going to run a startup, this is a good test of being prepared for a (k

by bbunix 14y ago

The hurricane wasn't a surprise... the effects shouldn't have been a surprise. If you're going to run a startup, this is a good test of being prepared for a (known, impending, likely) shit tsunami, and being agile, and resourceful, and flexible, and, well, you get the idea. If pg wants to appear compassionate about changing the date, that's fine, but this isn't like a tornado (no warning), or Katrina (total destruction of an entire city). If people were going to apply at the very last second, guess what - moving the date forward by N days just means they have N more days before applying at the very last second. If out of compassion pg wants to move the date, or more likely to avoid potential criticism of keeping the original date, then fine. But would this make a real difference, I doubt it. Besides moving the date back might actually prevent some great company from getting in who are right now, demonstrating extraordinary resourcefulness at finishing the application (typing away on an iphone), getting it in on time, and providing a really cool story of how they did it.

mindslight 14y ago
'Resourcefulness' in a storm doesn't mean wasting your phone's battery. If one has ample shelter/water/heat/food/electricity, they are sitting pretty and can go about their business without having to be very resourceful. If not, their only thoughts should be on preserving what they do have and using their intellect to improve their immediate situation. I hope that the YC hopefuls in emergency situations are wise enough to focus on taking care of themselves and figure that the application process will work out later.
SandersAK 14y ago
i guess you're not the one being evacuated from a flooding or burning building. nor are you someone who has loved ones anywhere in lower manhattan. you make it seem like natural disasters are easy to predict down to the precise movements and effects for eacn individual. i'd love to see that app or service you're making, sounds really powerful. dare i say clairvoyant?
- bbunix 14y ago
  Take a look at this blogpost... from 10/23 http://fox41blogs.typepad.com/wdrb_weather/2012/10/could-a-superstorm-occur-in-the-nexts-7-day.html http://fox41blogs.typepad.com/wdrb_weather/2012/10/could-a-s... Jeff Master's Blog is excellent as well: http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/article.html http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/article.html And yeah, I was born in NYC. We're tough.
  - SandersAK 14y ago
    I think you're missing the point. It's important to not only empathize with things you could believe personally might happen to you, but also to the millions of others who you might know. Maybe someone has updated their YC several times. But they also haven't heard from a family member in 24 hours in Manhattan. I don't need proof that we knew the storm was coming, I'm just asking you to put yourself in other people's shoes and anticipate that maybe things are bigger and more out of control than we think.
    - bbunix 14y ago
      "Get off the cross, we need the wood". Equating human tragedy with an application to YC is inane. It's an application, that's all it is. Apply next time. Or drop a note to pg with an explanation if it's that important to you.
  - SandersAK 14y ago
    ps - it would be a real bummer if someone spent the whole night worrying about sick family in those hospitals that are being evac'd and missed out on the chance to apply.
    - bbunix 14y ago
      You could always work on your YC application while you're sitting in the waiting room.
      - 14y ago
jacquesm 14y ago
Wow, what an asshole comment. I have absolutely no dog in this fight but I think that postponing the entry deadline for those in the affected region is absolutely the thing to do. Whether or not it is worse than Katrina remains to be seen. Millions of people without power and you think that some great company won't be able to get in because they're busy with the application showing how 'scrappy' they are rather than taking care of the people around them (and themselves) is tantamount to giving an advantage to those without a heart. Really, a day is much too little, a week would be more appropriate.
- OoTheNigerian 14y ago
  I do not think his comment was an "asshole comment". He made a pretty great argument why he opposes shifting the deadline. It was presented in a very respectful manner* You could have countered it without declaring him an asshole. *I want to assume we are seeing the same comment so I am replicating it below. "The hurricane wasn't a surprise... the effects shouldn't have been a surprise. If you're going to run a startup, this is a good test of being prepared for a (known, impending, likely) shit tsunami, and being agile, and resourceful, and flexible, and, well, you get the idea. If pg wants to appear compassionate about changing the date, that's fine, but this isn't like a tornado (no warning), or Katrina (total destruction of an entire city). If people were going to apply at the very last second, guess what - moving the date forward by N days just means they have N more days before applying at the very last second. If out of compassion pg wants to move the date, or more likely to avoid potential criticism of keeping the original date, then fine. But would this make a real difference, I doubt it. Besides moving the date back might actually prevent some great company from getting in who are right now, demonstrating extraordinary resourcefulness at finishing the application (typing away on an iphone), getting it in on time, and providing a really cool story of how they did it."
  - jacquesm 14y ago
    That last paragraph specifically is what I think is completely without any connection to reality and utterly disrespectful towards those that right now put their humanity before their financial or career interests and that spend the time helping their fellow human beings. No great company is going to be left out because they could not show how resourceful they were. There is a time to be hustling and there is a time to put a human face on things, natural disasters are not the time to show off who is resourceful other than in helping to combat the disaster if you're in the area. If you don't have your priorities straight at times like these then you shouldn't be running a company.

by bbunix 14y ago

mindslight 14y ago

'Resourcefulness' in a storm doesn't mean wasting your phone's battery. If one has ample shelter/water/heat/food/electricity, they are sitting pretty and can go about their business without having to be very resourceful. If not, their only thoughts should be on preserving what they do have and using their intellect to improve their immediate situation. I hope that the YC hopefuls in emergency situations are wise enough to focus on taking care of themselves and figure that the application process will work out later.

SandersAK 14y ago

i guess you're not the one being evacuated from a flooding or burning building. nor are you someone who has loved ones anywhere in lower manhattan. you make it seem like natural disasters are easy to predict down to the precise movements and effects for eacn individual. i'd love to see that app or service you're making, sounds really powerful. dare i say clairvoyant?

bbunix 14y ago
Take a look at this blogpost... from 10/23 http://fox41blogs.typepad.com/wdrb_weather/2012/10/could-a-superstorm-occur-in-the-nexts-7-day.html http://fox41blogs.typepad.com/wdrb_weather/2012/10/could-a-s... Jeff Master's Blog is excellent as well: http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/article.html http://www.wunderground.com/blog/JeffMasters/article.html And yeah, I was born in NYC. We're tough.
- SandersAK 14y ago
  I think you're missing the point. It's important to not only empathize with things you could believe personally might happen to you, but also to the millions of others who you might know. Maybe someone has updated their YC several times. But they also haven't heard from a family member in 24 hours in Manhattan. I don't need proof that we knew the storm was coming, I'm just asking you to put yourself in other people's shoes and anticipate that maybe things are bigger and more out of control than we think.
  - bbunix 14y ago
    "Get off the cross, we need the wood". Equating human tragedy with an application to YC is inane. It's an application, that's all it is. Apply next time. Or drop a note to pg with an explanation if it's that important to you.
- SandersAK 14y ago
  ps - it would be a real bummer if someone spent the whole night worrying about sick family in those hospitals that are being evac'd and missed out on the chance to apply.
  - bbunix 14y ago
    You could always work on your YC application while you're sitting in the waiting room.
    - 14y ago

jacquesm 14y ago

Wow, what an asshole comment. I have absolutely no dog in this fight but I think that postponing the entry deadline for those in the affected region is absolutely the thing to do. Whether or not it is worse than Katrina remains to be seen. Millions of people without power and you think that some great company won't be able to get in because they're busy with the application showing how 'scrappy' they are rather than taking care of the people around them (and themselves) is tantamount to giving an advantage to those without a heart. Really, a day is much too little, a week would be more appropriate.

OoTheNigerian 14y ago
I do not think his comment was an "asshole comment". He made a pretty great argument why he opposes shifting the deadline. It was presented in a very respectful manner* You could have countered it without declaring him an asshole. *I want to assume we are seeing the same comment so I am replicating it below. "The hurricane wasn't a surprise... the effects shouldn't have been a surprise. If you're going to run a startup, this is a good test of being prepared for a (known, impending, likely) shit tsunami, and being agile, and resourceful, and flexible, and, well, you get the idea. If pg wants to appear compassionate about changing the date, that's fine, but this isn't like a tornado (no warning), or Katrina (total destruction of an entire city). If people were going to apply at the very last second, guess what - moving the date forward by N days just means they have N more days before applying at the very last second. If out of compassion pg wants to move the date, or more likely to avoid potential criticism of keeping the original date, then fine. But would this make a real difference, I doubt it. Besides moving the date back might actually prevent some great company from getting in who are right now, demonstrating extraordinary resourcefulness at finishing the application (typing away on an iphone), getting it in on time, and providing a really cool story of how they did it."
- jacquesm 14y ago
  That last paragraph specifically is what I think is completely without any connection to reality and utterly disrespectful towards those that right now put their humanity before their financial or career interests and that spend the time helping their fellow human beings. No great company is going to be left out because they could not show how resourceful they were. There is a time to be hustling and there is a time to put a human face on things, natural disasters are not the time to show off who is resourceful other than in helping to combat the disaster if you're in the area. If you don't have your priorities straight at times like these then you shouldn't be running a company.