The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about • Hacker News Board

Re: The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about

#121

Post by ggambetta » Sun, Jun 30, 2019, 9:03 AM UTC

aerophilic wrote: post #53

ggambetta wrote: post #12

> Paul was driven by an incredible curiosity his whole life. Even when we were just kids, he seemed to be interested in just about everything. I can identify with this. I've founded a gamedev company, taught Computer Graphics, and worked at Google and Improbable as a SWE; but in the middle of all this I wrote a novel, I recently quit my job to become an actor/filmmaker ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10232800 ), and I…

I have said this before, but I will say it again here: I do not personally believe in a “happiness optimization algorithm” The best I think any of us can really do is have a “regret minimization” approach. Whenever you have a decision to make, ask yourself “What would I regret more if I didn't do in 20, 30 years? The only caveat is really make sure you think of yourself in the long time horizon: would you regret not…

Very interesting. I was recently reading Happy by Derren Brown (best known as a terrific illusionist), and he talks about the "experiencing self" and the "remembering self". I wonder if it's possible to combine both approaches.

Re: The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about

#122

Post by ggambetta » Sun, Jun 30, 2019, 9:05 AM UTC

puranjay wrote: post #32

ggambetta wrote: post #12

> Paul was driven by an incredible curiosity his whole life. Even when we were just kids, he seemed to be interested in just about everything. I can identify with this. I've founded a gamedev company, taught Computer Graphics, and worked at Google and Improbable as a SWE; but in the middle of all this I wrote a novel, I recently quit my job to become an actor/filmmaker ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10232800 ), and I…

I have the same problem. I taught myself marketing, then design, and enough code to throw together decent web pages. I've written a novel, then decided it wasn't good enough and shelved it. I taught myself how to play the guitar, then how to produce music. This can feel like bragging but I really feel that I haven't really specialized in anything. Although being a marketing consultant has been my livelihood for nearl…

FWIW, most of the interesting stuff I've done, most of what makes me who I am today, have happened after 30 :) Enjoy the ride!

I really like the "can only connect the dots backwards" speech by Steve Jobs. I'm no fanboy, but this one idea resonated with me, and has served me well.

Re: The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about

#123

Post by ggambetta » Sun, Jun 30, 2019, 9:07 AM UTC

max_effort wrote: post #85

ggambetta wrote: post #12

> Paul was driven by an incredible curiosity his whole life. Even when we were just kids, he seemed to be interested in just about everything. I can identify with this. I've founded a gamedev company, taught Computer Graphics, and worked at Google and Improbable as a SWE; but in the middle of all this I wrote a novel, I recently quit my job to become an actor/filmmaker ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10232800 ), and I…

I’m the same age, with the same questions, and the same uncertainty. So you’re not alone. Maybe it has to do with the growing realization that we don’t have unlimited time? I’m not sure. The premise of your movie looks fun. Where can I watch or rent it?

> Maybe it has to do with the growing realization that we don’t have unlimited time?

My GF said something similar. Kind of like how and why midlife crises happen.

> The premise of your movie looks fun. Where can I watch or rent it?

Send me an email :)

Re: The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about

#124

Post by ggambetta » Sun, Jun 30, 2019, 9:08 AM UTC

mixmastamyk wrote: post #42

ggambetta wrote: post #12

> Paul was driven by an incredible curiosity his whole life. Even when we were just kids, he seemed to be interested in just about everything. I can identify with this. I've founded a gamedev company, taught Computer Graphics, and worked at Google and Improbable as a SWE; but in the middle of all this I wrote a novel, I recently quit my job to become an actor/filmmaker ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10232800 ), and I…

It is great to be interested in everything when you’ve won the lottery. The rest of us aren’t so lucky and probably need some focus.

Yeah, I was thinking about that. If through a combination of luck, skill and effort you sell your first startup for tens of millions before you're 30, you probably have a lot more freedom to do whatever you want next. Unfortunately, that's not my story :(

Re: The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about

#125

Post by ggambetta » Sun, Jun 30, 2019, 9:09 AM UTC

carapace wrote: post #47

ggambetta wrote: post #12

> Paul was driven by an incredible curiosity his whole life. Even when we were just kids, he seemed to be interested in just about everything. I can identify with this. I've founded a gamedev company, taught Computer Graphics, and worked at Google and Improbable as a SWE; but in the middle of all this I wrote a novel, I recently quit my job to become an actor/filmmaker ( https://www.imdb.com/title/tt10232800 ), and I…

> what to optimise for (Not spelling or grammar, eh? I kid.) ;-) Open secret (it's like a cheat code): service to others is the most rewarding.

> Not spelling or grammar, eh?

Recently spent 4 years living in London, and I picked up some of the UK spelling.

> Open secret (it's like a cheat code): service to others is the most rewarding.

Very interesting, thanks!

Re: The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about

#126

Post by GreeniFi » Sun, Jun 30, 2019, 12:13 PM UTC

ggambetta wrote: post #114

GreeniFi wrote: post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s off-topic, but such a great question you asked. My view is that its “horses for courses”as they say in the UK. Some people will optimize for high income because that’s what makes them happy - and may be helped by a predisposition for high focus. Other people will optimize for a life in which they cultivate many interests because that makes them happier than staying focused and earning a lot of money. For what it…

I like the concept of a "portfolio career". For better or worse, however, one of the things I want to achieve is to be financially independent... and that seems to be somewhat at odds with this kind of varied profile.

That’s what I mean: horses for courses. But it also depends on what you mean by “financial independence”. It seems obvious to say that I’ve found that outgoings are as bigger a determinant of independence as income. Oh, and I married a partner who sees status as a function of freedom more than money. And that helps a lot.

Re: The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about

#127

Post by GreeniFi » Sun, Jun 30, 2019, 12:19 PM UTC

GreeniFi wrote: post #126

ggambetta wrote: post #114

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I like the concept of a "portfolio career". For better or worse, however, one of the things I want to achieve is to be financially independent... and that seems to be somewhat at odds with this kind of varied profile.

That’s what I mean: horses for courses. But it also depends on what you mean by “financial independence”. It seems obvious to say that I’ve found that outgoings are as bigger a determinant of independence as income. Oh, and I married a partner who sees status as a function of freedom more than money. And that helps a lot.

To add to that, an old friend married someone who’s main priority in life is to own a brownstone in Brooklyn. And their expectation engenders a fairly high degree of marital tension. The partner comes from a background in which, I’d guess, you show status by owning expensive property. And that’s a high barrier to happiness because earning that sort of money is not easy unless you’re willing to trade off a lot of your time.

Re: The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about

#128

Post by wpietri » Sun, Jun 30, 2019, 1:25 PM UTC

chrisco255 wrote: post #109

wpietri wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think that's a very suspect use of "natural". Of course, many uses of "natural" are suspect, in that people smuggle all sorts of their personal prejudices into it. E.g., the way a number the Civil War declarations of secession mentioned how it was natural that whites should rule over blacks. Or the way today that religious conservatives think that the natural order is the dominance of men over women, and that gay p…

Or the way that modern progressives tend to skew everything towards race and class when a conversation is not even remotely about that, it seems like a natural thing for them. It might be natural for the NY Yankees to win a world series. Some people complain about it when it happens. Some people don't like the Yankees. But they are pretty good at baseball. When Microsoft lost the mobile market, it was an unfortunate…

I picked those examples because they're very prominent uses of the naturalistic fallacy. The reason that obvious examples in America are about things like race and class is that America was founded by a bunch of rich white dudes who wrote their systemic advantages into law, enforced them violently, and then tried to pretend it was just the natural order. If you don't like that, take it up with them. Were we in England, I could have used similar examples from the aristocracy and royalty, who thought their dominance was just as natural, but everybody else (we colonists included) thought were inbred, chinless goofs.

I agree it's "natural" (by which I mean common) for people with systemic advantages to pretend that it is "natural" (by which they mean expected and correct) that they continue to receive those advantages whatever their actual merit. It's natural, but also revealing of the individual in question. Because not everybody does that. Just sticking with tech titans, we have Steve Jobs" and "stay hungry, stay foolish". And Andy Grove's, "only the paranoid survive".

I also think "not a big deal" is thoroughly wrong. Had Microsoft not gotten fat and arrogant on monopoly rents, they might have done a good enough job making OSes that they wouldn't now be struggling to stay relevant.

Re: The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about

#129

Post by WoodenChair » Sun, Jun 30, 2019, 1:30 PM UTC

erikpukinskis wrote: post #105

WoodenChair wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> You don’t get to repair that karma with some donated vaccinations and mushy blog articles. I'm sorry, but why don't you? He's literally saving millions of lives through his foundation, and through getting other billionaires to give to charity through the giving pledge. He was the richest man in the world. He could have done anything he wanted to with his life, and he chose to do good things. He deserves some praise…

Because good deeds don't undo bad deeds. Morality isn't a math equation.

Depends on your religion and personal beliefs. Many people believe in redemption.

Re: The side of Paul Allen I wish more people knew about

#130

Post by remote_phone » Sun, Jun 30, 2019, 1:41 PM UTC

bitcoinmoney wrote: post #90

remote_phone wrote: post #81

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The only question to answer is, “are you happy?” I’m almost 50, I don’t have a high profile job, failed at getting into Google 5 times, but just bought my wife a $20,000 grand piano for our anniversary without thinking about it. My kids make me happy, my house mortgage is less than 1X my household earnings, my work pays well and I have a great Work Life Balance. We all die within 120 years, and if we are cremated, th…

As someone who wants to be financially independent, how did you make so much such that household income > mortgage? Do u just live in a crappy neighborhood? Even on Midwest states tech yearly salary is about half of a decent house?

Basically we got lucky. We bought our house 7 years ago, just before the housing bubble went crazy again. I live in the SF Bay Area to be honest we almost gave up and went back to renting but managed to find a house just before we gave up.

My wife makes 50% more than me, but we bought a house that we could afford on one salary. It’s in a nice neighborhood but not super fancy. It’s the house I plan on dying in. We have lived well below our means and was able to save a good down payment that helped. Not living above your means and maintaining a standard of living well below that is the most important thing, in my opinion. Not having worked for FANG (not being able to get in because I’m not good enough to pass the interviews) and not being able to amass great wealth from stocks, basically it’s been from saving.

My wife is more successful than I am, but I stunted my career to take more of the child rearing. That said my career isn’t terrible, I make a good salary but I turn off my phone at 3pm every day. My calendar automatically rejects all meeting requests after 230pm and I pick up the kids and spend more time with them to give my wife the opportunity to further her career.