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As someone who lives outside the valley, I feel so weird seeing articles like this. I think they bother me because they illustrate just how much this whole univ

As someone who lives outside the valley, I feel so weird seeing articles like this. I think they bother me because they illustrate just how much this whole universe of tech is totally rooted in a single geographic area. In anything else, changes in a business that had such a tiny area of influence would not make the news next to stories on international business. I shouldn't feel so bothered about this, but I do.

ebbv 14y ago
As another person far, far outside the valley these kinds of stories annoy me too. But, they make it up the list because they get voted up. So we're on a valley centric site, so it's the price we pay.
pg 14y ago
Rooted in doesn't mean intrinsically limited to. Apple and Google are also rooted in the Valley in the sense that their original users were here. But anything sufficiently good becomes ubiquitous. And incidentally, Instacart may well be such a thing. The effect it's had on my life is almost entirely a function of having small children rather than being part of the startup world.
- lelandbatey 14y ago
  Having typed my previous comment on my phone, I think I'd like to expand on what I was feeling: When I read HN, I think of it as a place for news that appeals to the mind of a "hacker". That's the "box" that it inhabits in my mind. When I see posts like this one though, I'm reminded that there's a very large bias towards things going on in a relatively small area or set of areas (SF, NYC, Boston, Austin, maybe Seattle). I think my feelings on seeing this post are just facing the reality of these natural biases. Also, I'd like to say that these biases aren't a bad thing. It's natural when lots of people with the same interests live in just a few places. But it does exist, and it gives me a bit of a mental jolt when I run across them. ----- Also, I agree with the sentiment that "anything sufficiently good will become ubiquitous." I've live(d) in the Seattle area all my life, and services like Amazon Fresh are wonderful for more than just people living the startup lifestyle.
- ChuckMcM 14y ago
  I don't think this concept is appreciated enough. Sure, the valley is a microcosm of people who are both willing to adopt early and willing to invest in some lifestyle changes in order to use clever technology. However, as pg points out, to know if something is good you have to have someone volunteer to use it. While people in the Bay Area may use something nobody else does, the number of things they won't use that a larger portion of the population will is a small number. So when Steve and Steve were pushing their "friendly" computer at the Computer Club it was to a group of people would would spend $1,000 on something they didn't have an immediate use for, but they found uses for it, and from those uses inspired other people to see uses for it. I've got a Zaurus Wizard, a Psion handheld, an HP Pocket Computer, a Palm Pilot, a Handspring, a Newton Message Pad, REX organizer, and an iPad. A lot of people have the iPad but much fewer have any of the other gizmos that led up to it.
wushupork 14y ago
One thing you could do is implement this service for your own area. If you see a need for it, chances are other people need it to.
- w1ntermute 14y ago
  I'm really curious as to how successful this will be in areas that don't have a big startup community of early adopters to get the service off the ground and convince their non-early adopter neighbors/friends to try it out as well.
r00fus 14y ago
I live in SV, but just outside the boundary for InstaCart (West SJ). I'm on the Google Shopping Express beta, but that service doesn't do perishable groceries so it's not nearly as appealing as InstaCart. So my options are Safeway delivery ($75 minimum delivery) or go to the store. I am desperately waiting for them to increase their reach. Pretty please, Instacart? Any love for the south bay?
- mmmmax 14y ago
  Send your zip code to us and we'll see what we can do!

ebbv 14y ago

As another person far, far outside the valley these kinds of stories annoy me too. But, they make it up the list because they get voted up. So we're on a valley centric site, so it's the price we pay.

pg 14y ago

Rooted in doesn't mean intrinsically limited to. Apple and Google are also rooted in the Valley in the sense that their original users were here. But anything sufficiently good becomes ubiquitous. And incidentally, Instacart may well be such a thing. The effect it's had on my life is almost entirely a function of having small children rather than being part of the startup world.

lelandbatey 14y ago
Having typed my previous comment on my phone, I think I'd like to expand on what I was feeling: When I read HN, I think of it as a place for news that appeals to the mind of a "hacker". That's the "box" that it inhabits in my mind. When I see posts like this one though, I'm reminded that there's a very large bias towards things going on in a relatively small area or set of areas (SF, NYC, Boston, Austin, maybe Seattle). I think my feelings on seeing this post are just facing the reality of these natural biases. Also, I'd like to say that these biases aren't a bad thing. It's natural when lots of people with the same interests live in just a few places. But it does exist, and it gives me a bit of a mental jolt when I run across them. ----- Also, I agree with the sentiment that "anything sufficiently good will become ubiquitous." I've live(d) in the Seattle area all my life, and services like Amazon Fresh are wonderful for more than just people living the startup lifestyle.
ChuckMcM 14y ago
I don't think this concept is appreciated enough. Sure, the valley is a microcosm of people who are both willing to adopt early and willing to invest in some lifestyle changes in order to use clever technology. However, as pg points out, to know if something is good you have to have someone volunteer to use it. While people in the Bay Area may use something nobody else does, the number of things they won't use that a larger portion of the population will is a small number. So when Steve and Steve were pushing their "friendly" computer at the Computer Club it was to a group of people would would spend $1,000 on something they didn't have an immediate use for, but they found uses for it, and from those uses inspired other people to see uses for it. I've got a Zaurus Wizard, a Psion handheld, an HP Pocket Computer, a Palm Pilot, a Handspring, a Newton Message Pad, REX organizer, and an iPad. A lot of people have the iPad but much fewer have any of the other gizmos that led up to it.

wushupork 14y ago

One thing you could do is implement this service for your own area. If you see a need for it, chances are other people need it to.

w1ntermute 14y ago
I'm really curious as to how successful this will be in areas that don't have a big startup community of early adopters to get the service off the ground and convince their non-early adopter neighbors/friends to try it out as well.

r00fus 14y ago

I live in SV, but just outside the boundary for InstaCart (West SJ). I'm on the Google Shopping Express beta, but that service doesn't do perishable groceries so it's not nearly as appealing as InstaCart. So my options are Safeway delivery ($75 minimum delivery) or go to the store. I am desperately waiting for them to increase their reach. Pretty please, Instacart? Any love for the south bay?

mmmmax 14y ago
Send your zip code to us and we'll see what we can do!