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Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

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Re: Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

#41

Post by sammydavis »

elmin wrote: post #38
max_ wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I am currently in my first year studying B.Architecture. But I want my lifes work(my core passion) to be around Software/Tech. I enrolled to Arch school simply because I thought it was cool and did not do Computer Science cause the syllabus here is kind of out dated (they lack, an Artificial Intelligence module, something i want to get deeply into)

The vast majority of what you learn in a CS program was published in the 50-70s. Just because it's a little outdated doesn't mean there isn't a lot to learn. Also, don't forget that you can always change schools, as hard as it might seem, it can be the right call.

One thing that modern CS programs should give you is more insight into the engineering and craftsmanship side of programming. Also, I think most of techniques we use to build distributed systems today were built way after the 90s. Think of the all the stuff google invented, plus other significant systems paxos, etc. In the 70s they were trying to build scalable relational databases, now we can build things that scale much more, and it's not just hardware, it is the techniques to handle them.

All that stuff might not matter if you are most startups, because they don't need to build that huge shit usually, you can just use someone else's infrastructure.

Re: Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

#42

Post by hackuser »

max_ wrote: post #36
hackuser wrote: post #30

Why not take advantage of college and all that you can learn there first? The chance won't come again to study the world ... not just IT but history, natural sciences, neuropsychology, literature ... and to do it surrounded by peers and with a faculty of experts to advise and teach you, and all those resources: Labs, libraries, etc. You can do startups later and will work for the rest of your life. Does the Thiel Fel…

I want to build a company, my course is 5 years, am already 20 and the age limit for application is 22. in case i wait, I do not think i have another chance of getting 100K like that again.

That's too bad about the age limit. You could change to a program that you can complete by the time you're 22, but I'm sure you've considered that.

> I do not think i have another chance of getting 100K like that again.

I certainly am in no position to make recommendations (nobody is), so I'll add some general observations:

1) You'll have other chances at $100K (if you're someone who has the skills to build companies). It's a good opportunity, but $100K investments aren't once-in-a-lifetime for a moderately successful entrepreneur. In fact, I would guess that the social capital, the network, is worth far more (and will yield far more investment than $100K).

2) Life will not work out at all like you plan. That doesn't at all mean that you shouldn't pursue goals and dreams, but I wouldn't be too rigid about any particular opportunity or outcome as the only option, do-or-die. Most startups fail; many others end up doing things their founders never expected. And life is much more than startups and work. Enjoy the ride.

I hope whatever you choose turns out to be a fantastic experience.

Re: Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

#43

Post by sammydavis »

burkaman wrote: post #27
XFrequentist wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Anti-woman"? On what is that based? (Agree that the other antis listed are indeed self-evident, btw.)

You could infer that from this: "The 1920s were the last decade in American history during which one could be genuinely optimistic about politics. Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women — two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians — have rendered the notion of “capitalist democracy” into an oxymoron." - http://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04…

Just educated myself on the Moldbug fellow and The Cathedral and Dark Enlightenment. Liberal progressivism, such ideas as civil rights for women, civil rights and tolerance for gay people and people of color, health care for poor kids are seen as terrible?

What's wrong with these D.E. people? If you are born into a poor family you should just die, or starve to death?

Re: Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

#44

Post by max_ »

hackuser wrote: post #42
max_ wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I want to build a company, my course is 5 years, am already 20 and the age limit for application is 22. in case i wait, I do not think i have another chance of getting 100K like that again.

That's too bad about the age limit. You could change to a program that you can complete by the time you're 22, but I'm sure you've considered that. > I do not think i have another chance of getting 100K like that again. I certainly am in no position to make recommendations (nobody is), so I'll add some general observations: 1) You'll have other chances at $100K (if you're someone who has the skills to build companies…

thanx!

Re: Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

#45

Post by burkaman »

sammydavis wrote: post #43
burkaman wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could infer that from this: "The 1920s were the last decade in American history during which one could be genuinely optimistic about politics. Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women — two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians — have rendered the notion of “capitalist democracy” into an oxymoron." - http://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04…

Just educated myself on the Moldbug fellow and The Cathedral and Dark Enlightenment. Liberal progressivism, such ideas as civil rights for women, civil rights and tolerance for gay people and people of color, health care for poor kids are seen as terrible? What's wrong with these D.E. people? If you are born into a poor family you should just die, or starve to death?

I think the idea is that classes are a good and natural thing, and if you're born into a poor family, that's because you and your family are naturally (genetically) inferior and you deserve to be there. And they like hardcore unrestricted capitalism, so if you're a worthwhile person you'll pull yourself up and be successful. The ideal government is just a monarch who enforces the law and does nothing else, so you wouldn't have welfare of any kind.

As for civil rights, I think basically they look at old successful civilizations and say "they were all sexist and racist, so that must be part of their success". But as I'm sure you know, capitalism solves all problems, so if social equality is really a good thing, countries will compete to ensure equality so they can retain the best citizens and businesses.

I apologize to any darkly enlightened people if I have misunderstood your beliefs. Feel free to darkly enlighten me.

Re: Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

#46

Post by semigroupoid »

sammydavis wrote: post #41
elmin wrote: post #38

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The vast majority of what you learn in a CS program was published in the 50-70s. Just because it's a little outdated doesn't mean there isn't a lot to learn. Also, don't forget that you can always change schools, as hard as it might seem, it can be the right call.

One thing that modern CS programs should give you is more insight into the engineering and craftsmanship side of programming. Also, I think most of techniques we use to build distributed systems today were built way after the 90s. Think of the all the stuff google invented, plus other significant systems paxos, etc. In the 70s they were trying to build scalable relational databases, now we can build things that scale…

The article introducing Paxos was first published in 1989.

Re: Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

#47

Post by emgoldstein »

sammydavis wrote: post #43
burkaman wrote: post #27

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You could infer that from this: "The 1920s were the last decade in American history during which one could be genuinely optimistic about politics. Since 1920, the vast increase in welfare beneficiaries and the extension of the franchise to women — two constituencies that are notoriously tough for libertarians — have rendered the notion of “capitalist democracy” into an oxymoron." - http://www.cato-unbound.org/2009/04…

Just educated myself on the Moldbug fellow and The Cathedral and Dark Enlightenment. Liberal progressivism, such ideas as civil rights for women, civil rights and tolerance for gay people and people of color, health care for poor kids are seen as terrible? What's wrong with these D.E. people? If you are born into a poor family you should just die, or starve to death?

Your "ideas" are abstractions. These abstractions are new (they are a product of 19th and 20th-century ideology). The realities behind them (charity, social mobility) are anything but new. For instance, Cardinal Wolsey was born into a poor family:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Wolsey

In general, the answer to your question is "the Catholic Church." This was not a perfect institution. Ours are not perfect, either. The present has had many opportunities to give you its view of the past; the past has had no opportunity to give you its view of the present.

Re: Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

#48

Post by emgoldstein »

burkaman wrote: post #45
sammydavis wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just educated myself on the Moldbug fellow and The Cathedral and Dark Enlightenment. Liberal progressivism, such ideas as civil rights for women, civil rights and tolerance for gay people and people of color, health care for poor kids are seen as terrible? What's wrong with these D.E. people? If you are born into a poor family you should just die, or starve to death?

I think the idea is that classes are a good and natural thing, and if you're born into a poor family, that's because you and your family are naturally (genetically) inferior and you deserve to be there. And they like hardcore unrestricted capitalism, so if you're a worthwhile person you'll pull yourself up and be successful. The ideal government is just a monarch who enforces the law and does nothing else, so you wou…

No one can enlighten anyone; you have to enlighten yourself.

Where did you get this picture of the pre-1968 world? For instance, your picture of classical Europe as "hardcore unrestricted capitalism" is frankly bizarre; you seem to be projecting 19th-century classical liberalism, a left-wing ideology in its day, back two or three centuries:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercantilism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean-Baptiste_Colbert

My turn: feel free to undarkly enlighten me. Watch this movie, or even skim it, then tell me that all is for the best in this the best of all possible worlds:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBZ6hgA-Cc4

When this film was made, most women didn't have to work; now they do. When this film was made, African-Americans had a 25% illegitimacy rate, which Moynihan thought terrifying; now they have an 75% illegitimacy rate (with whites at 25%). When this film was made, women in college were treated like ladies; today they're treated like Casanova's whores. When this film was made, Detroit was America's third-largest city; today it's a ruin.

Tell me again what your abstractions have done for women and African-Americans? For Detroit? For anyone, for anywhere? Can you find me a population that was struggling in 1966 and is thriving now? Can you find me a place that was a shithole in 1966 and is gleaming now? I can sure as heck find a lot of examples in the other direction...

Re: Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

#49

Post by burkaman »

emgoldstein wrote: post #48
burkaman wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the idea is that classes are a good and natural thing, and if you're born into a poor family, that's because you and your family are naturally (genetically) inferior and you deserve to be there. And they like hardcore unrestricted capitalism, so if you're a worthwhile person you'll pull yourself up and be successful. The ideal government is just a monarch who enforces the law and does nothing else, so you wou…

No one can enlighten anyone; you have to enlighten yourself. Where did you get this picture of the pre-1968 world? For instance, your picture of classical Europe as "hardcore unrestricted capitalism" is frankly bizarre; you seem to be projecting 19th-century classical liberalism, a left-wing ideology in its day, back two or three centuries: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mercantilism https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jean…

Oh I wasn't trying to describe classical Europe, I was describing what it looks like DE people want from the little I've skimmed. I won't pretend to know much about either topic.

Re: Ask HN: Is the Thiel Fellowship worth it?

#50

Post by jstandard »

SaaS_throwme wrote: post #10
morgante wrote: post #2

I didn't go through it, but you should almost certainly apply. You can always decline later. I'm too old for it, but it's basically free money. You can always return to college later if you really want to.

> but you should almost certainly apply Also, need to remember it adds up - YC, 500Startups, tech stars, etc. and then pondering about the results and then the sorrow phase after not being accepted. Weigh your trade offs.

If you can't deal with rejection or selling people on your idea/yourself, then entrepreneurship is likely not the right path for you.

If it takes a few rejected applications to learn that, it is time well spent.

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