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Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident

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Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident

#81

Post by [deleted] »

tinkerdol wrote: post #49
Kenji wrote: post #46

I can't believe one of the founders was doing this alongside grad school and PG was like yeah you know, you have a lot of spare time there. And here I got so much work with full time studying that I can barely finish reading a single book alongside. How can people say university is enjoyable, fun, lots of spare time? For me it's just endless hard work and barely any breaks inbetween.

Depends on what program you're in? In general I think grad school (esp. the PhD level compared to Master's) typically gives the student a lot of freedom. At the PhD level often you are basically an independent researcher and might meet with your advisor once every three weeks or so. If that were the case, and you could complete enough work to keep your advisor happy within one week, that gives you two weeks of time t…

[deleted]

Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident

#82

Post by dang »

vidoc wrote: post #21

Full-of-himself !

Hard to know what you're referring to, but it's surely a case of incomplete information. pg is one of the least full-of-himself people I've ever met. I don't say that lightly.

When someone cares so much about figuring things out and so little about superficial nicety, they can seem full of themselves, but that can also be a red herring. The real tests of fullness-of-oneself are in how they personally interact with others.

Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident

#83

Post by Swizec »

visakanv wrote: post #66
Swizec wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Any famous writer I've ever read about has said that the amateur waits for inspiration, whereas the professional just sits down and gets to work. 12 months from now you won't be able to tell what you wrote while inspired and what while schlepping.

> 12 months from now you won't be able to tell what you wrote while inspired and what while schlepping. I've been writing almost every day for probably about a decade now. The reality of it is a little more nuanced that that. It's more like... 20% of the time you were inspired, you'll realize that what you produced was still crap. Similarly, about 20% of the time you were schlepping, you'll realize it was actually pr…

So, 20% chance of crap while inspired, 36% to 44% chance of good while schlepping?

I'll take those chances. Especially if it increases my chance of getting started at all.

Remember, the only option with 0% chance of great is not doing anything.

Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident

#84

Post by [deleted] »

Terr_ wrote: post #4

This reminds me of a bit from "The Dilbert Future" (1997): > Most people won't admit how they got their current jobs unless you push them up against a built-in wall unit and punch them in the stomach until they spill their drink and start yelling, "I'LL NEVER INVITE YOU TO ONE OF MY PARTIES AGAIN, YOU DRUNKEN FOOL!" > I think the reason these annoying people won't tell me how they got their jobs is because they are e…

[deleted]

Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident

#86

Post by bootload »

Hermel wrote: post #20
bootload wrote: post #18

"Early-stage startups are just fast-moving chaos. That is a constant. That was true in Henry Ford's day, it was true when we started YC." Interesting quote. There must be some organisation to early startups, otherwise they wouldn't work. Is the chaos just a description of what cannot be observed and described? Fantastic read. Liked the bit about straw-drawing to talk to customers.

The "organization" at startups is to do whatever makes sense and to not waste energy on internal politics. Obviously, that requires the founders to be naturally well-aligned in what they do.

"do whatever makes sense and to not waste energy on internal politics."

Your right, small team organisation is what startups must succeed in. So obvious, I missed this.

Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident

#87

Post by jessaustin »

BellsOnSunday wrote: post #79
graeme wrote: post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's the same thing. Though "gives me chills" is more common in English. I only knew "frisson" because I speak French, I'm not sure I've ever heard an English speaker use it. (until now)

I don't think frisson is that unusual, or that it means the same thing as "gives me the chills" -- the latter implies that you're frightened, IMO.

It depends on context, but "gives me the chills" certainly can mean what they're talking about upthread.

Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident

#88

Post by visakanv »

Swizec wrote: post #83
visakanv wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 12 months from now you won't be able to tell what you wrote while inspired and what while schlepping. I've been writing almost every day for probably about a decade now. The reality of it is a little more nuanced that that. It's more like... 20% of the time you were inspired, you'll realize that what you produced was still crap. Similarly, about 20% of the time you were schlepping, you'll realize it was actually pr…

So, 20% chance of crap while inspired, 36% to 44% chance of good while schlepping? I'll take those chances. Especially if it increases my chance of getting started at all. Remember, the only option with 0% chance of great is not doing anything.

Yup, exactly!

Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident

#89

Post by conceit »

jessaustin wrote: post #87
BellsOnSunday wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think frisson is that unusual, or that it means the same thing as "gives me the chills" -- the latter implies that you're frightened, IMO.

It depends on context, but "gives me the chills" certainly can mean what they're talking about upthread.

Well, I'd agree but chilly has something to do with cold, whereas goose bumps would rather correlate with warmth from a suddenly increased blood pressure. I'd say thrilled (say frilled) was a good compromise, if it wasn't preoccupied. Anyway, I'd not get a kick out of the remark so I wouldn't know what it really means.

Re: Paul Graham on Doing Things Right by Accident

#90

Post by scrupulusalbion »

hodwik wrote: post #70
hdctambien wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"You know, the most amazing thing happened to me tonight... I saw a car with the license plate ARW 357. Can you imagine? Of all the millions of license plates in the state, what was the chance that I would see that particular one tonight? Amazing!" - Richard Feynman

Or, when two people meet, and find that incredibly they have multiple characteristics in common -- name, age, hometown, favorite book, childhood dog name, etc. I like to imagine the two people are sitting, and rolling dice over and over again, squealing with wide eyes every time their dice rolls match.

If I met someone with whom I shared numerous characteristics, I wouldn't find the coincidences interesting nearly as much as the engaging conversation with someone who was effectively a stranger a few moments ago.
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