Several weeks ago, I sent out an email to the Y Combinator internal mailing list. I use a read receipt tool for most of my emails, which pings me when and where an email is opened (assuming there's location data available). Within the first 24 hours, the email had been…
We were walking around downtown Mountain View when Paul Graham (PG) gave us the news. “If this was a class in college, I’d be the professor warning you that you’re in danger of failing.” We already had our suspicions, but he confirmed them. We were in YCombinator, and…
Last week I took part in a Code Day with a bunch of friends, where we pair-programmed Conway’s Game of Life from scratch multiple times over, with a different pair each time. Inspired by the Code Day, I wanted to share Stripe’s Capture The Flag (CTF) with the…
While I wouldn't recommend it, it's possible to live and work without worrying about the world outside your front door. I will note, though, that we have a term for this: agoraphobia. This is easier as a programmer, or a designer, or some other profession that lends itself to remote…
The following is a message to my fellow Stanford students, both past and present. I love startups and, like Paul Graham, I think that we should continue to encourage entrepreneurship. However, I also think that Stanford students are often choosing to do startups for the wrong reasons. How Do You…
I was once sitting next to a friend who was learning to program, and the internet went down. She asked me if she could still compile her code even though there wasn't any internet. Now, to someone who knows how the internet works and how compilers work, this seems like…
Recently I contacted a few freelancers off of the monthly Hacker News thread to get their opinions and advice on being a freelancer. This is a summary of their responses. What sources do you use for clients at the moment, and what's been your most reliable source so far? The…
Here are a few tricks that I've accumulated over the years to help improve relationships and convince others. I've tried most of them personally, and I've read up on the ones that I haven't. Message me if there are any good ones I've missed, or if these have worked for…