Your idea is your product, and you need a product that customers are willing to pay for. Sales are incredibly important, but they aren't going to happen without a product that someone will pay for.
While I agree, I somewhat understand what he's saying.
It's sort of like the guy who writes a neat app for storing recipes and ends up developing a fantastic database engine. So while storing recipes isn't necessarily going to set the world on fire, a fantastic database engine might be worth something.
The article had an interesting example of one of Tilt's competitors, WePay, that basically started going down the same road as Tilt. But discovered that the money just wasn't there and "pivoted" into becoming a back-end for others who want to do crowdfunding. It's more boring, but there's good money in it. So while the idea of being a "social payment app" isn't going to work out, it might lead you into some other interesting areas.
Part of the issue is, frankly, I'd rather you not kill me. Yes, I can appreciate that you feel you can talk on the phone while driving or that you can drive while drunk. But if you're wrong...then what? I'm dead.
Would you be willing to spend the rest of your life in jail? Whoo...that's a toughie. I mean, hey, you killed someone. But it's not like you meant to do it. It was an accident. You looked away from the road for just a moment, honest, because your phone rang. It could've happened to anyone. And I'm sure you're sorry. I'm sure you're very very sorry. And you're a basically law-abiding citizen and I'm sure you'll never ever do that again.
But I'm still dead.
Do I have to die in order for you to learn that, hey, maybe you're not quite the superman that you think you are?
Actually, my father taught high school for 21 years and became miserable. He finally quit (which was a good thing) and went and did something he enjoyed--making signs.
Now, he had a family to help support. So if someone needed a sign, he made them a sign. He'd suggest ideas, try to steer them in the direction he wanted to go, but ultimately, the money was what was important. So if they wanted a square painted sign, he'd give them a square painted sign and charge them for it. He got so that he could whip those out pretty quick (unless he got distracted--"Norwich Pubic School"?! Oh shit...)
On the other hand, if somebody wanted a nicely carved sign with gold leaf, he'd probably charge them less--more than the boring square painted sign, but less than what others might charge--because it was something he enjoyed doing. Heck, I know he lost money on a few of those because he was learning. But he enjoyed it and got pretty good at it. After awhile, as the family became smaller, he got into a position where he could say, "No, I don't want to do that sign because it's boring. Here's a guy you should talk to instead." He also started doing more chip-carving and making the local craft-fair circuit. He finally got completely out of the sign business (retired) and did the craft-fair thing.
The point is, kind of like in software, there are the boring things you do to make money. Sometimes you get to do interesting things to make money. Occasionally, you do exciting things and make money.
- My company's IT refuses to alter our company's firewall rule settings to be compatible with our company's own products. -- YES we cannot use our own products at all from our IT-issued systems!
Hm. I'm not sure of what the firewall settings are, but perhaps you should consider making your products more flexible?
[...] his product is for folks who can cough up hundreds of dollars for smart phones. Marketing his service to folks who struggle to get food is a complete waste of resources.
But, you see, those people don't have smartphones. So you're marketing to people who do.
Also, keep in mind the sheer number of people. Even if 90% of India is struggling to get food (which is a percentage I pulled out of my ass--I have no idea about income in India), that's still 120 million people who aren't--about 1/3 the total population of the US. Last I saw, smartphone sales in India numbered in the area of 30 million units. So somebody over there is rich enough to buy them.
The first solution was to stop the learning process and freeze the neural net before it reached this stage, then simply use it in production with the learning capability (ability to modify itself) disabled.
Humans get blinded by the sun because our eyes can't function while staring at the sun. AI may be 'excused' by getting blinded by the sun once [...]
AI can be outfitted with sensors that we don't have. So while the visible spectrum may become confused, radar and infrared may not be. So a hexagonal object positioned near an intersection might be enough to tell the AI that it should stop, even if there are a few stickers on the sign or the sun is shining into the sensor.
Also, it's easier to make sure a light sensor feeding an AI has appropriate filters. It's tougher to remind drivers to wear sunglasses...
"I love the idea of running a start-up." Not, "I have a great idea. How would I start a business around it?"
There are lots of ideas that I love, too. I love the idea of being an astronaut. But considering I have issues with motion sickness and a fear of heights, I don't think I'd be a good one. But I love the idea.
I love the idea of being in an early-stage start-up, mostly because I might get rich. So I was part of an early stage start-up and, frankly, slaved for more years than I should have with the occasional missed paycheck. Ended up going through a reasonable amount of my savings before I finally decided that enough was enough.
Why are you interested in running or being part of an early stage start-up? If it's because you might get rich, you might want to think of some other options which will offer you a better chance of becoming rich.
It's possible the app itself makes it easier to hail a cab instead. Instead of calling, they just use an app and they don't need to use cash.
Actually, over the last year or two I've taken cab rides here in Southern California, I've had no problem paying for my cab with a credit card. Can't speak for NYC, but it's a good point.
One excuse for driving instead of taking a cab would be that you don't have to worry about having enough cash for the ride home. I know that sometimes became an issue back in my drinking days.
Uh...they weren't using the official USCIS twitter account. They were using "@ALT_USCIS", which is not a government account. They suspect that the person using it is a government employee.
The people who I need to take me seriously dress and behave professionally so I do the same.
And if you're looking to move into their job, that's not a bad attitude to have. Personally, I'd prefer the "tech track" to the "management track." But that's just me--to each their own.
That said, a company I used to work for had the best dress code: "You must be covered from the shoulders to just above the knee in clothing of good repair."
No miniskirts. No spaghetti straps or tank/tube tops. No ripped jeans. Shorts were fine, but they had to go down to just above the knee--no daisy dukes or the like. I don't remember what the policy was on footwear, but I don't think open-toed shoes were allowed.
And they had a sign in the front lobby that said, "We support a casual work environment" so that anybody coming in wouldn't freak out if they saw someone wearing shorts.
Another neat thing about it--it was unisex. I chatted with the HR person about this policy and she said the funniest part was there was some woman who worked there who insisted that men should not be allowed to wear shorts because, "Hairy legs are gross."
Agreed. It's actually kind of interesting--being able to handle things like waves and the like.
That said, I might be concerned about storms. For the most part, airplanes fly over storms and big honkin' container ships go through storms. But you start adding downdrafts, updrafts, waves, and the like and things could get interesting.
Also, while avoiding teh evul gubmint regulations is always amusing, I'd be a it concerned about reliability. I mean, I stick my package on a 747 cargo out of Singapore and I can be pretty secure that it'll show up. I stick it on a container ship and I feel the same way. But if I'm putting, say, $500,000,000 worth of iPhones on your flimsy boat, the insurance is probably going to be pretty outrageous.
When they're attitude is "Hey, we can wreck and it's no big deal!" while carrying half-a-billion dollars worth of cargo, these aren't the people I want to hire to transport my goods.
Slashdot Mirror
...while twirling mustaches...
Your idea is your product, and you need a product that customers are willing to pay for. Sales are incredibly important, but they aren't going to happen without a product that someone will pay for.
While I agree, I somewhat understand what he's saying.
It's sort of like the guy who writes a neat app for storing recipes and ends up developing a fantastic database engine. So while storing recipes isn't necessarily going to set the world on fire, a fantastic database engine might be worth something.
The article had an interesting example of one of Tilt's competitors, WePay, that basically started going down the same road as Tilt. But discovered that the money just wasn't there and "pivoted" into becoming a back-end for others who want to do crowdfunding. It's more boring, but there's good money in it. So while the idea of being a "social payment app" isn't going to work out, it might lead you into some other interesting areas.
Part of the issue is, frankly, I'd rather you not kill me. Yes, I can appreciate that you feel you can talk on the phone while driving or that you can drive while drunk. But if you're wrong...then what? I'm dead.
Would you be willing to spend the rest of your life in jail? Whoo...that's a toughie. I mean, hey, you killed someone. But it's not like you meant to do it. It was an accident. You looked away from the road for just a moment, honest, because your phone rang. It could've happened to anyone. And I'm sure you're sorry. I'm sure you're very very sorry. And you're a basically law-abiding citizen and I'm sure you'll never ever do that again.
But I'm still dead.
Do I have to die in order for you to learn that, hey, maybe you're not quite the superman that you think you are?
Actually, my father taught high school for 21 years and became miserable. He finally quit (which was a good thing) and went and did something he enjoyed--making signs.
Now, he had a family to help support. So if someone needed a sign, he made them a sign. He'd suggest ideas, try to steer them in the direction he wanted to go, but ultimately, the money was what was important. So if they wanted a square painted sign, he'd give them a square painted sign and charge them for it. He got so that he could whip those out pretty quick (unless he got distracted--"Norwich Pubic School"?! Oh shit...)
On the other hand, if somebody wanted a nicely carved sign with gold leaf, he'd probably charge them less--more than the boring square painted sign, but less than what others might charge--because it was something he enjoyed doing. Heck, I know he lost money on a few of those because he was learning. But he enjoyed it and got pretty good at it. After awhile, as the family became smaller, he got into a position where he could say, "No, I don't want to do that sign because it's boring. Here's a guy you should talk to instead." He also started doing more chip-carving and making the local craft-fair circuit. He finally got completely out of the sign business (retired) and did the craft-fair thing.
The point is, kind of like in software, there are the boring things you do to make money. Sometimes you get to do interesting things to make money. Occasionally, you do exciting things and make money.
- My company's IT refuses to alter our company's firewall rule settings to be compatible with our company's own products. -- YES we cannot use our own products at all from our IT-issued systems!
Hm. I'm not sure of what the firewall settings are, but perhaps you should consider making your products more flexible?
[...] his product is for folks who can cough up hundreds of dollars for smart phones. Marketing his service to folks who struggle to get food is a complete waste of resources.
But, you see, those people don't have smartphones. So you're marketing to people who do.
Also, keep in mind the sheer number of people. Even if 90% of India is struggling to get food (which is a percentage I pulled out of my ass--I have no idea about income in India), that's still 120 million people who aren't--about 1/3 the total population of the US. Last I saw, smartphone sales in India numbered in the area of 30 million units. So somebody over there is rich enough to buy them.
The first solution was to stop the learning process and freeze the neural net before it reached this stage, then simply use it in production with the learning capability (ability to modify itself) disabled.
Which works until somebody re-enables it...
Humans get blinded by the sun because our eyes can't function while staring at the sun. AI may be 'excused' by getting blinded by the sun once [...]
AI can be outfitted with sensors that we don't have. So while the visible spectrum may become confused, radar and infrared may not be. So a hexagonal object positioned near an intersection might be enough to tell the AI that it should stop, even if there are a few stickers on the sign or the sun is shining into the sensor.
Also, it's easier to make sure a light sensor feeding an AI has appropriate filters. It's tougher to remind drivers to wear sunglasses...
You'll only be able to drive inside Apple's "Walled Garden."
There are a few out there. The 2010s are about 60-70K, 2008's are running about 50-60K.
If I have a theory that is both simple and consistent with all available data that theory is good enough for me.
God did it.
It's a lot scary that it's possible for a remote attacker to ask these devices en masse to do something with nothing more than a broadcast ad.
Alexa, kill all humans.
Maybe people will just start singing "Wooly Booly"...
I gotta admit, that caught my eye as well.
"I love the idea of running a start-up." Not, "I have a great idea. How would I start a business around it?"
There are lots of ideas that I love, too. I love the idea of being an astronaut. But considering I have issues with motion sickness and a fear of heights, I don't think I'd be a good one. But I love the idea.
I love the idea of being in an early-stage start-up, mostly because I might get rich. So I was part of an early stage start-up and, frankly, slaved for more years than I should have with the occasional missed paycheck. Ended up going through a reasonable amount of my savings before I finally decided that enough was enough.
Why are you interested in running or being part of an early stage start-up? If it's because you might get rich, you might want to think of some other options which will offer you a better chance of becoming rich.
I thought Scala was dead.
Oops. Never mind...
Keep in mind that in Texas, there's nothing worthwhile to hit.
It's possible the app itself makes it easier to hail a cab instead. Instead of calling, they just use an app and they don't need to use cash.
Actually, over the last year or two I've taken cab rides here in Southern California, I've had no problem paying for my cab with a credit card. Can't speak for NYC, but it's a good point.
One excuse for driving instead of taking a cab would be that you don't have to worry about having enough cash for the ride home. I know that sometimes became an issue back in my drinking days.
I'll bet you don't own a TV, either...
Uh...last I checked, twitter accounts are free.
Uh...they weren't using the official USCIS twitter account. They were using "@ALT_USCIS", which is not a government account. They suspect that the person using it is a government employee.
First...
Why pay for channels (except ESPN, ESPN2, USA, FX, FXX, and about 40 others) when you can get them over the air.
FTFY.
Second, because they don't work with my TV of choice, namely my iPad/Laptop/Phone.
I wonder where they got the idea for a custom machine learning chip...
Oh. Shit.
The people who I need to take me seriously dress and behave professionally so I do the same.
And if you're looking to move into their job, that's not a bad attitude to have. Personally, I'd prefer the "tech track" to the "management track." But that's just me--to each their own.
That said, a company I used to work for had the best dress code: "You must be covered from the shoulders to just above the knee in clothing of good repair."
No miniskirts. No spaghetti straps or tank/tube tops. No ripped jeans. Shorts were fine, but they had to go down to just above the knee--no daisy dukes or the like. I don't remember what the policy was on footwear, but I don't think open-toed shoes were allowed.
And they had a sign in the front lobby that said, "We support a casual work environment" so that anybody coming in wouldn't freak out if they saw someone wearing shorts.
Another neat thing about it--it was unisex. I chatted with the HR person about this policy and she said the funniest part was there was some woman who worked there who insisted that men should not be allowed to wear shorts because, "Hairy legs are gross."
Super wifi doesn't sound like a very technical term.
True. But I like the way that rolls out.
Agreed. It's actually kind of interesting--being able to handle things like waves and the like.
That said, I might be concerned about storms. For the most part, airplanes fly over storms and big honkin' container ships go through storms. But you start adding downdrafts, updrafts, waves, and the like and things could get interesting.
Also, while avoiding teh evul gubmint regulations is always amusing, I'd be a it concerned about reliability. I mean, I stick my package on a 747 cargo out of Singapore and I can be pretty secure that it'll show up. I stick it on a container ship and I feel the same way. But if I'm putting, say, $500,000,000 worth of iPhones on your flimsy boat, the insurance is probably going to be pretty outrageous.
When they're attitude is "Hey, we can wreck and it's no big deal!" while carrying half-a-billion dollars worth of cargo, these aren't the people I want to hire to transport my goods.