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Be Relentlessly Resourceful

paulgraham.com

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Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#51

Post by Rod »

ajju wrote: post #48
Rod wrote: post #47

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Kind of PC, aren't we? Lower bound is -8. Knock yourself out.

Your being down voted has little to do with political correctness. You insulted the OP and the comment wasn't even funny.

There's no accounting for taste, so I won't discuss whether the comment was humorous or not. However, I respectfully disagree that I have offended the original poster. Please allow me to explain:

As an engineer, I appreciate the original poster's resourcefulness and can-do attitude. Getting things done with minimum means is something admirable. However, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to claim that anyone who reads the words "Nigeria" and "internet" in the same sentence will think of 419 scams. That is not the OP's fault, of course, but it would be naive to think that such a prejudice does not work against him. Countries have reputations, sometimes good, sometimes bad. Sometimes your country's reputation helps, sometimes it hinders.

I am sure some people think I am being racist. Just so you know, I am no bigot. Moreover, if the OP was offended, he can defend himself, and I am here to apologize if my joke was offensive. I conjecture that if the OP were Russian and I made a stupid joke about vodka bottles and stuff, I wouldn't have been down-voted as fast. Not all bigotry is created equal, I guess.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#52

Post by ajju »

nostrademons wrote: post #5

I'm curious about contextual dependence in this... For example, I can often be relentlessly resourceful in technical matters. If an approach doesn't work, then there's some other combination of code that may get us there, it just won't be as easy or elegant. But then we can usually simplify it after the fact to make it reasonably maintainable. But when it comes to social matters, I'm far more likely to just give up t…

With people (by which I assume you mean co-founders or colleagues), being resourceful usually means finding out what is important to them in life and in that moment. Then you shouldn't have to push them very much (or at all) to get things done - they will almost always be things they want themselves. When this is not the case, you need to be resourceful in figuring out why they don't want to do something. Usually there's a legitimate reason which can be addressed.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#53

Post by cosmo7 »

froo wrote: post #35
pg wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Me: Why don't you just do x? Founders: Could we really do x? Me: Sure, why not? Can't hurt to try. How hard can it be to do at least version 1 of x? Founders: Ok [dubiously] we'll try it. A few days later: Founders: Pg, check out this demo of x. It was a lot harder than we expected, but we just got it working. While we were working on it, we thought "what if we did y..."

One of my alltime favourite quotes that I think is relevant is: "I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination" - Walt Disney Also, perhaps this one might work too, also by Walt. "Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secr…

That's surprisingly ironic considering Disney's attitude towards the public domain and copyright extension.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#54

Post by colinplamondon »

Rod wrote: post #51
ajju wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your being down voted has little to do with political correctness. You insulted the OP and the comment wasn't even funny.

There's no accounting for taste, so I won't discuss whether the comment was humorous or not. However, I respectfully disagree that I have offended the original poster. Please allow me to explain: As an engineer, I appreciate the original poster's resourcefulness and can-do attitude. Getting things done with minimum means is something admirable. However, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to claim that anyone who reads th…

Nah, it would have- and that's why HN is awesome. Dumb jokes get downmodded into oblivion, which keeps the quality of conversation high. If shit like that flew, the site would devolve into Reddit levels of lolcats. It doesn't contribute to the conversation and it leads into detours like this thread.

It's also beyond ridiculous to mock someone who's busting his ass to build a company when he has to transcend things like, you know, regular access to electricity, but that's a matter of personal taste.

I'm not saying show blind admiration because the cool kids are upmodding, I'm saying be respectful... especially when the OP is as badass as the OP in question!

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#55

Post by wyday »

cosmo7 wrote: post #53
froo wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

One of my alltime favourite quotes that I think is relevant is: "I can never stand still. I must explore and experiment. I am never satisfied with my work. I resent the limitations of my own imagination" - Walt Disney Also, perhaps this one might work too, also by Walt. "Somehow I can't believe that there are any heights that can't be scaled by a man who knows the secrets of making dreams come true. This special secr…

That's surprisingly ironic considering Disney's attitude towards the public domain and copyright extension.

You're confusing the "secret" Walt is referring to. He's not talking about intellectual property. He's talking about the so called "secret to success".

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#56

Post by cosmo7 »

joechung wrote: post #10

Isn't the antonym of hapless opportunistic (without its negative connotation)?

Hap is a middle English word meaning luck or fate. Things happen, mishaps occur. Perhaps.

Hapless means being in a situation with no logical way out, such as being stuck in quicksand, or being good at Ruby on Rails.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#57

Post by fleaflicker »

Recent PG quotes:

1. So probably the limiting factor on the number of startups is the the pool of potential founders.

2. ...and they think "anyone could have done it." But that isn't true; they are not ordinary people.

3. Angels are the limiting reagent in startup formation.

#1 & #2 don't necessarily contradict #3. But it's interesting.

I like to think relentlessly resourceful/animal/not dead founders are limiting reagent.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#58

Post by gojomo »

swombat wrote: post #29

Just a small niggle, but don't you mean "helpless" as opposed to "hapless"? Helpless: "unable to help oneself; weak or dependent" Hapless: "unlucky; luckless; unfortunate." It seems to me that helpless has exactly the definition you seek. "Relentlessly resourceful" founders are able to help themselves, strong, and independent. I know you disagree with the dictionary definition, but could it be that the two meanings m…

I think this is a case where the meaning of 'hapless' has drifted towards 'helpless' because of the similarity of sound. Paronyms are becoming synonyms.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#59

Post by ajju »

Rod wrote: post #51
ajju wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Your being down voted has little to do with political correctness. You insulted the OP and the comment wasn't even funny.

There's no accounting for taste, so I won't discuss whether the comment was humorous or not. However, I respectfully disagree that I have offended the original poster. Please allow me to explain: As an engineer, I appreciate the original poster's resourcefulness and can-do attitude. Getting things done with minimum means is something admirable. However, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to claim that anyone who reads th…

To me, the insulting nature of your comment stemmed not from the economic status of Nigeria as a poor country (or the skin color of its residents) but the fact that you were jokingly implying the OP was involved in something illegal.

A joke about a Russian entrepreneur selling vodka, for example, would not be insulting, just trite. Which, quality of content wise, is equally bad.

Re: Be Relentlessly Resourceful

#60

Post by Rod »

colinplamondon wrote: post #54
Rod wrote: post #51

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There's no accounting for taste, so I won't discuss whether the comment was humorous or not. However, I respectfully disagree that I have offended the original poster. Please allow me to explain: As an engineer, I appreciate the original poster's resourcefulness and can-do attitude. Getting things done with minimum means is something admirable. However, it wouldn't be too far-fetched to claim that anyone who reads th…

Nah, it would have- and that's why HN is awesome. Dumb jokes get downmodded into oblivion, which keeps the quality of conversation high. If shit like that flew, the site would devolve into Reddit levels of lolcats. It doesn't contribute to the conversation and it leads into detours like this thread. It's also beyond ridiculous to mock someone who's busting his ass to build a company when he has to transcend things li…

AFAIK, the OP did NOT request your intervention (I am sure the OP's skin is thicker than yours, so to say). You are making a storm in a teacup. BTW, I was not mocking the OP, in case you haven't figured it out yet. Borrowing a British expression, I was taking the piss.

Born and raised in Western Europe, I have lived some time in a 3rd world country. I have seen the most annoying condescending gaze on the faces of so many American and British expats who claim to be very sensitive to cultural issues, but who actually never bother to interact with the locals. Going for a game of crickett at the private club is more fun than hanging out with the local "savages".

I admire people who work hard and get stuff done with minimum means, regardless of their race or nationality. Period.

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