Years ago, the web used to be a place where individuals made things. They made homepages, forums, and mailing lists, and a small bit of money with it. Then companies decided they could do things better. They created slick and feature-rich platforms and threw their doors open for anyone to join. They put boxes in front of us, and we filled those boxes with text and images, and people came to see the content of those boxes. The companies chased scale, because once enough people gather anywhere, there’s usually a way to make money off them. But AI changes these assumptions.
Alexander Graham Bell on being inspired by Joseph Henry:
He said he thought it was ‘the germ of a great invention’ and advised me to work at it myself instead of publishing. I said that I recognized the fact that there were mechanical difficulties in the way that rendered the plan impracticable at the present time. I added that I felt that I have not the electrical knowledge necessary to overcome the difficulties. His laconic answer was — ‘get it.’ “
“I cannot tell how much these two words have encouraged me. I live too much in an atmosphere of discouragement for scientific pursuits.
Suppose someone had an amazing life-extending therapy they were about to offer you and you were going to live until 160. I’ve often thought, “Well, what should I do now?” and the answer really tells you what you lack in your life.
In a game, you’re constantly unlocking benefits and upgrades, or at least getting a clear message that you’ve done something right. How often does this happen in real life? I think this is why people get obsessed with money, because money is a quantitative reward that’s at least sort of related to the quality of your actions.
Finally, I don’t see any way to get over the fact that games are much easier. How long does it take, in a game, before you understand how stuff works and you feel like you know what you’re doing? Minutes for an easy game, and maybe a few weeks for a hard game. In life, even after decades, you’re still unlocking new levels of your own incompetence.
When Ross Perot ran for president in 1992, his supporters exclaimed “He can get things done!” So I’d ask “What does he want to get done that you’d like to see happen?” I don’t recall ever getting an answer. What he wanted to get done didn’t matter. (I’m not saying that Perot’s platform was dumb. I’ll stay out of that discussion. I’m only saying that it could have been dumb and some people would not know or care.)
A post I made on Mastodon as advice to a younger indie app developer based on my three decades of experience working for smaller software businesses – mostly as a freelance software engineer – and watching which ones succeeded and which ones did not.
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If your idea doesn’t pass the first 5, find a different problem to solve because this one isn’t likely to succeed.
Great, hard-won advice from my friend Tyler about product fit.
They allowed us to be the kids that auditioned for the movie. Of course, it may not have been our story fully, but the personality, that was us. That’s why it never felt like work.
This was delightful, just as the movie is — pure fun.
She said it carefully, just as she’d planned to: as if she had the most amazing news. Their dad was getting help, she told them. He’d learn new tools, find the right medicine, be an example to others — to seek care when you need it. Gisele felt relief. Inside her family, this would be news to celebrate. “Great news,” she said, “like, the best news ever.”
I really appreciate that they are handling mental health like physical health and just putting it out there.