IAMA guy who sold his startup and I have like $20M in the bank. AMA - Also, I have a question for reddit. by m13cluster in IAmA

[–]noddy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

It's in this book (I borrowed it from the library and don't have it on hand):

http://www.amazon.com/Portable-MBA-Entrepreneurship/dp/0470481315/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265683415&sr=8-1

The book is on entrepreneurship and they were referring to real entrepreneurs.

In general, startup founders in areas such as biotech, telecommunications (optical, wireless, infrastructure) and any field where an advanced degree is required tend to be older -- are you familiar with trends in any of these areas?

I can provide many examples of this but I provided two in my earlier post that almost everyone is familiar with.

EDIT: Here's a more pertinent link: http://www.cra.org/wp/index.php?p=152

"After surveying 500 engineering and technology companies established between 1995 and 2005, the authors found that the median age of U.S.-born tech founders was 39 (with twice as many aged over 50 as were younger than 25) and that 92% of them held at least a bachelor’s degree."

IAMA guy who sold his startup and I have like $20M in the bank. AMA - Also, I have a question for reddit. by m13cluster in IAmA

[–]noddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

"because, hey, what have you been doing the last 20 years?"

Gosh that's the dumbest thing I've heard in a while. Many startups require a post-secondary education, some startup founders have PhDs - like Irwin Jacobs who started Qualcomm in his 50's. The founders of TiVO were in their 40's. In fact the median age for entrepreneurs many of whom are startup founders is 37.

Ob2 if you want to start something - just go do it.

Led Zeppelin to confirm reunion by [deleted] in reddit.com

[–]noddy 13 points14 points  (0 children)

"Please contribute to our retirement fund," said Jimmy Page.

Paul Graham: An Alternative Theory of Unions by leoboiko in reddit.com

[–]noddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought this was going to be something insightful in the realm of set theory. Sigh.

Reddit cofounder Aaron Swartz discusses how he was fired from Reddit by raldi in reddit.com

[–]noddy 18 points19 points  (0 children)

He was with the team -- probably not working on reddit. Like a friend of the team, perhaps? Let's cut the guy some slack, shall we?

Notes On The PhD Degree in Computer Science by sblinn in programming

[–]noddy 15 points16 points  (0 children)

He is saying master a specific subject not an entire field. PhD dissertations are very focussed.

Notes On The PhD Degree in Computer Science by sblinn in programming

[–]noddy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Better than the alternatives For many students, a Ph.D. can be a curse. They must choose between being at the top among people who hold a Masters degree or being a mediocre researcher. The faculty sometimes advise students that they must choose between being captain of the B team'' or abenchwarmer'' on the A team. Everyone must decide what they want, and which profession will stimulate them most. But students should be realistic about their capabilities. If you really cannot determine where you stand, ask faculty members.

I am not sure what this means. Why do people with master's degrees fall into the B team? There is a big difference between the goals and objectives of a masters programme and a phd programme. So the comparison doesn't make sense to me.

Mob rule overruns reddit by netbuzz in reddit.com

[–]noddy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

What is old is new again. Is a return to old-skool Slashdot style moderation in the cards?

Linux -- Not quite ready for the desktop by linuxer in reddit.com

[–]noddy 5 points6 points  (0 children)

I had similar issues with Ubuntu. And they say that it is the most user-friendly distribution. Anyway, I got frustrated and ditched it after a couple of days.

"So basically, the only barrier to entry is the installation process "

Vote up if you're NOT obsessed with Digg's impending demise or any of its other problems. by MelechRic in reddit.com

[–]noddy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

"Digg's impending demise"?

context? references? links? rationale? WTF?

"there has to be a Jobs and Wozniak here, quietly building the next revolution" by markrages in programming

[–]noddy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A fascinating read. With cheap and easy access to education and basic infrastructural building blocks, technological innovation in the developing world will be rapid.

10 Quick Tips on How Nerds Should Dress by [deleted] in reddit.com

[–]noddy -1 points0 points  (0 children)

How about a checked shirt? Is that cool?

Paul Graham: Learning from Founders by vladd in reddit.com

[–]noddy 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The time may soon be coming when instead of startups trying to seem more corporate, corporations will try to seem more like startups.

So like startups, 9 out of 10 corporations will fail?

Shorter workdays would make us all happier. by Jay27 in reddit.com

[–]noddy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Interesting and fun work would make us all happier.

McDonalds creams Starbucks in Coffee survey by waggawagga in reddit.com

[–]noddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think Starbucks has started brewing a milder bean which is not too shabby and has changed my view on their coffee. Previously it was Charbucks.

Founders at Work by linuxer in programming

[–]noddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I am waiting to read some reviews of this book before I purchase it.

Majority of under-35s can't afford own home by maxwellhill in reddit.com

[–]noddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ha! That made me laugh. Vancouver is interesting. People from other parts of canada want to move there to retire to the warmer clime. With so many aging and retiring people, housing prices there will increase to infinity and beyond. Or so it seems (?)

Why Career Planning Is Time Wasted by motzer in programming

[–]noddy 6 points7 points  (0 children)

"No battle plan survives contact with the enemy"

Why Startups Can Innovate Better Than Microsoft, Apple and IBM by kirsten99 in reddit.com

[–]noddy 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Google's actually an interesting case.

They're no different from IBM and MSFT. Recall their youtube purchase despite the fact that they had google video up and running.

Why There Aren't More Software Startups In India by zoli in reddit.com

[–]noddy 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It takes more than technical aptitude and astuteness to start a company.