Ask Hackers/Entrepreneurs: How are/will you change(ing) the world?

I think ideas are more a product of the times than they are of individuals, generally. Most important new ideas are invented in multiple places simultaneously.

I love music. And film. And I read a lot. And I'm fairly social online. I started Directed Edge because there's too much noise on the web that gets in the way of me finding the content I care about.

That's what I'm setting out to do. I've been self-employed now for just a little over 6 months, and already I've built networks and solved I.T. problems for a number of folks locally, at a fraction of what it would have cost them otherwise. People are happy enough that, even though I've yet to do any marketing at all, my business has grown beyond my ability to handle it, on word of mouth alone.

But I'm only bootstrapping right now. Eventually I want to make sure that the people with skills in various areas get all the exposure they want, and that the people looking for skills can find them. I want to make all kinds of resources more available to all kinds of people. I want design and produce everything from new software to revolutionary backpacks (not so much school packs, but packs for backpackers, climbers, photographers...).

I've helped launch a local Rotaract club, and I'm the sole founder of a local club for "solopreneurs". At just over a month old, the club managed to form some relationships that are helping us to launch my county's very first inexpensive shared office space for budding entrepreneurs.

So, a long way to go yet, but not too bad so far either.