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How would I get started?

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Re: How would I get started?

#141

Post by gizzlon »

This reminded me of Richard Branson (the Virgin guy) and a post by James Altucher. I think James' point is that to do something huge, like start a new airline, you always have to find the next step. Pretty basic really, break a big task into smaller pieces. But worth a read nonetheless, it really goes into OP's question.

"Q: How do you know when you’re thinking too big or aiming too high (if that’s even possible)?"

"A: In the mid-90s I had an idea that lasted about the amount of time it takes to drink two beers. I say this because I had the idea at a bar and it was quickly squashed by the two friends I was with

(...)

My real problem was: I didn’t have confidence. And I didn’t know what the next step was. In retrospect, I should’ve written down my idea, written down ten ideas for possible shows to launch with, and started pitching TV companies to get someone to partner with me on it. That would’ve been simple and not taken too much time before there was some payoff."

http://www.jamesaltucher.com/how-do-you-know-when-youre-thin...

Re: How would I get started?

#143

Post by nhangen »

I didn't read any of the comments in the original thread, but I can imagine why many of them were negative. Here is the question:

' I want to build a cable company that centers around viewer types. Basically, it is my understanding that the majority of my cable costs centers around channels (like fox) that I just dont watch, if I wanted to build a system that let customers limit this, where would I get started?'

This, to me, reeks of laziness. The OP would have done better to say 'this is what I've done, research, and/or these are the ideas I have. Am I right, wrong, or close?'

So problem #1 is that, from the looks of it, the OP didn't do any research before asking the question.

Problem #2 is that the question is a lazy one.

I can guarantee you that Elon didn't ask these type of questions, but instead presented lists of assertions and hypothesis which he was prepared to test and/or validate.

Re: How would I get started?

#144

Post by jbooth »

xiaoma wrote: post #135
peteforde wrote: post #130

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I promised myself that I wasn't going to reply directly to any of the comments, but it's important to rebut this succinctly: so far as I can tell, 100% of the top 1oo contributors to Hacker News (by karma) are male. I am documenting my methodology and will publish my findings in the near future. Please remember that nobody has the right to not be offended. Meanwhile, if you can prove that HN has been taken over by Je…

I don't dispute that it's a mostly male site. The problem is that unless you're claiming that being male is a negative thing, there's no reason to include it along with your criticisms of "know-it-alls" or "bunch of snarky dicks". If, for example, you said that Hollywood producers were "predominantly Jewish know-it-alls and on the average, a bunch of snarky dicks," then a lot of Jewish people would take offense and r…

It has to do with power. The comment about jewish film producers (high status) is not only not offensive, Mel Brooks has made jokes about it for 30 years.

Calling all female schoolteachers (low pay) 'bitches' is extra offensive on 2 levels.

Re: How would I get started?

#145

Post by illuminate »

atdrummond wrote: post #26
Mz wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure thing. Here is the original site: http://www.healthgazelle.com/oldsite/archive.shtml Here is the site I am trying to migrate everything to and trying to figure out how to better present what I know: http://www.healthgazelle.com/ Because most people do not believe me, I am up against a brick wall. I cannot get people to talk to me and it is making forward progress very challenging, to put it mildly.

What is the actual goal of the site/proposed business? A one sentence pitch would be great as it isn't clear to me from either version of your website.

"Additionally, I make use of bits and pieces of info and advice I hear from people whom I consider "in the know" -- mostly moms who have found what works for a difficult kid that the medical community has written off."

Sounds like a sincere version of the "one quick tip that moms found to..." ads.

Re: How would I get started?

#146

Post by Mz »

illuminate wrote: post #145
atdrummond wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What is the actual goal of the site/proposed business? A one sentence pitch would be great as it isn't clear to me from either version of your website.

"Additionally, I make use of bits and pieces of info and advice I hear from people whom I consider "in the know" -- mostly moms who have found what works for a difficult kid that the medical community has written off." Sounds like a sincere version of the "one quick tip that moms found to..." ads.

One mom was a former RN who formally studied a number of alternative medicine disciplines to keep her sons alive who were anaphylactic to antibiotics. Another is a lawyer who runs a website for alternative treatment info. These are educated, knowledgeable people who figured out what worked to help their children after experts had written them off. The fact that they are mothers meant they got to observe the person they were helping up close, over a long period of time. They became more familiar with the problem space than most doctors, who typically spend about 15 minutes with a patient before writing a prescription for a drug. Medicine was not always like that, but it often is so today.

Re: How would I get started?

#147

Post by rada »

tomasien wrote: post #14

HERE HERE! But I do always find myself needing to point out: Hacker News is the most constructive and positive community on the internet. Yes there are lots of dicks and know-it-alls with "why didn't they just do this?" syndrome, but you won't find another anonymous discussion based community of this quality anywhere.

Metafilter is equally as good.

Re: How would I get started?

#148

Post by illuminate »

Mz wrote: post #146
illuminate wrote: post #145

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Additionally, I make use of bits and pieces of info and advice I hear from people whom I consider "in the know" -- mostly moms who have found what works for a difficult kid that the medical community has written off." Sounds like a sincere version of the "one quick tip that moms found to..." ads.

One mom was a former RN who formally studied a number of alternative medicine disciplines to keep her sons alive who were anaphylactic to antibiotics. Another is a lawyer who runs a website for alternative treatment info. These are educated, knowledgeable people who figured out what worked to help their children after experts had written them off. The fact that they are mothers meant they got to observe the person th…

"These are educated, knowledgeable people"

Who are speaking way above their level of understanding. This is not unique to untrained professionals, either. In academia plenty of tenured professors use their position to spread pseudoscience. Just because they associate their care with their childrens' improvements, does not mean that their care and specific choices for self-treatment were the cause of their childrens' improvements.

Re: How would I get started?

#149

Post by Mz »

illuminate wrote: post #148
Mz wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One mom was a former RN who formally studied a number of alternative medicine disciplines to keep her sons alive who were anaphylactic to antibiotics. Another is a lawyer who runs a website for alternative treatment info. These are educated, knowledgeable people who figured out what worked to help their children after experts had written them off. The fact that they are mothers meant they got to observe the person th…

"These are educated, knowledgeable people" Who are speaking way above their level of understanding. This is not unique to untrained professionals, either. In academia plenty of tenured professors use their position to spread pseudoscience. Just because they associate their care with their childrens' improvements, does not mean that their care and specific choices for self-treatment were the cause of their childrens'…

They are people who gave me useful information at a time when doctors were saying nothing could be done. Their credentials may not be anything you respect, but they knew what they were talking about.
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