News: Sensation!!! Hydrocodone order Online viagra consultation Phendimetrazine Thioridazine Cialis eli lilly Woman using viagra Non prescription phentermine Buy Bontril Pink oval pill 17 xanax identification Generic viagra cialis levivia buy cheap Buy online order viagra Adipex Xanax and grapefruit Pulmonary hypertension and viagra Amoxil Aricept Buy viagra uk Phentermine and carbs Phentermine 37.5 no prescription Order xanax online Female uk viagra Cialis levitra Phentermine side effects dangers How does phentermine work Female herbal viagra Cheap phentermine overnight Losartan Phentermine yellow Triamcinolone Phentermine free prescription Echinacea Xanax valium Xanax Phentermine 37.5mg tablets Viagra success story Ambien sleeping pill Viagra pills Phentermine weight loss pill Adipex vs phentermine Miconazole Enebrel Different types of phentermine Viagra sale Cheap phentermine with online consultation Reviparin Soma drug Suboxone Purchase vicodin Zyrtec Phentermine success story Compare pharmacies for phentermine Cheapest phentermine diet pills Botox Online pharmacies with doctor consultation for viagra Cialis drug impotence Lowest price tramadol Buy cheap uk viagra Iprindole Brompheniramine Tramadol ingredients Cheap phentermine no rx Viagra tablets Deslanoside Epo Viagra soft tabs Phentermine chemical enhancement Viagra lowest price Buy generic ambien Phentermine without rx Biperiden Viagra online shop Is phentermine discontinued Discount viagra sales Cialis side effects Viagra alternative uk Lopid Cheap hydrocodone Flomax Phentermine order easy Mivial valve prolapse viagra Low cost viagra Pepcid Xanax and weight gain Natural alternative to viagra Xenical hgh phentermine quit smoking Trihexyphenidyl Divalproex Cialis versus viagra Viagra discount sale Captopril Cialis tablets Generic meridia Tolmetin Paregoric Lorazepam Online xanax No prior perscription tramadol Phentermine studies Clomid Diet phentermine pill On line pharmacy phentermine Discount drug phentermine Cheep phentermine Dimethindene Cialis for woman Levivia compared to viagra Lexapro interaction with phentermine Meridia weight loss Dopamine Multivitamins Phentermine online pay with mastercard Vicodin online pharmacy Hydrocodone bitartrate Cefotaxime Buy phentermine in canada Phentermine dosage Vancomycin Lotrimin Viagra premature Phentermine online Minocycline Diet phentermine Xanax overnight Methacycline Herbal phentermine Bactrim Phentermine hoodia diet pill Erythrityl Bentyl Urokinase No phentermine prescription Loracarbef Phentermine no prescription Donepezil Diamox Cefaclor Viagra and pulmonary hypertension Phentermine hcl Nisoldipine Hydrocodone overdose Viagra cheap Mitoxantrone Buy generic hydrocodone Phentermine online prescriptions Repaglinide Beconase Clopidogrel Bromocriptine Mephentermine Valtrex Levivia viagra vs Cialis generic Hydrocodone query Inject xanax Pentoxifylline Get viagra drug online Phentermine incrediants India generic viagra Discount pharmacy phentermine Veterinary use of tramadol Vicodin overdose Levaquin Herbal viagra for women Viagra for woman information Glipizide Cheapest xanax Viagra without a perscription Indapamide Lansoprazole Klonopin Cialis results Sufentanil Substitute viagra Digitoxin Nafcillin Lysodren Novobiocin Generic cialis from india Phentermine adipex diet pill prescription Cortisol Phentermine cash on delivery accepted Discount phentermine to florida Carbenicillin Daunorubicin Chloroquine Ampicilin Viagra use in women Nasalcrom Viagra strip poker flash games Dilantin Viagrafix corporation Phentermine + sale How to inject xanax pills Doxorubicin Takin prozac and xanax Buy Celexa Tramadol cheap Cyber pharmacy viagra Can woman take viagra Cheapest cialis generic Xanax without a prescription Aminopterin Where to buy phentermine online Prescription weight loss medication phentermine Cash on delivery shipping of phentermine Meridia diet pill Oxymorphone Cheapest phentermine online Generic xanax Metharbital Buy com lvivhost online viagra Cialis soft Hexamethonium Clarithromycin Generic viagra online Cialis online sales Isocarboxazid Phentermine overnight Ativan xanax Invia nasal viagra Frontier pharmacy phentermine Ciprofloxacin Bar gold xanax Generic viagra from india Adipex cheap phentermine Extra cheap phentermine Piperacetazine Buy fioricet online Anxiety disorder xanax Tramadol medicine Buprenorphine Luvox How long does xanax stay in system Buy xanax cod Cialis commercial Phentermine forums Phentermine sale Cardura Methoxamine Oxycontin xanax bars per casettes and lortabs Cortisone Anileridine Generic viagra cheap Woman taking viagra Bacampicillin Phentermine message boards Viagra sample pack Diflucan Buy Butalbital What does generic xanax look like Discount phentermine no prescription Tramadol hcl 50 mg Cheap viagra Online prescription viagra without Ambien Phentermine international order Phentermine about withdrawl Levivia vs cialis vs viagra Viagra xenical Diet inexpensive phentermine pill Viagra alternatives uk Feldene Buy online pharmacy viagra Clofibrate Free viagra prescription Phentermine online prescription Allowed cialis tag viagra xhtml Free cialis Order viagra viagra online Vicodin Fill viagra prescription Aspirin Saturday delivery phentermine Catapres Dantrolene Buy phentermine at amide pharmaceutical Phenacetin Discount drug viagra Buy online salescom viagra Nasalcrom Bromocriptine 2 mg xanax Accolate Buy Ambien Cefprozil Natural viagra alternative Phentermine not working Cialis price Viagra info Xanax overdose Urine drug testing of tramadol Benadryl Buy buy domain link online online viagra info viag Lovastatin Cheapest tramadol online Triprolidine Cevimeline Amaryl Buy online viagra Long term effects of phentermine use Phentermine alternative Naltrexone Losartan Xanax manufacturer Cycloserine Compare cialis levitra Disulfiram Codeine Cheapest secure delivery cialis uk Xanax indications Penicillin Differin Free phentermine sample Low natural resources for the drug phentermine Viagra price online No prescription phentermine free shipping Buy phentermine fedex Soma addiction Paxil and xanax interaction Buy viagra prescription online Viagra prices Mycostatin Chlorambucil Picture of xanax pill Phenylephrine Generic xanax 2mg Xanax shipped cod Calan Killer pain tramadol Importing cialis from canada to us Xanax and grapefruit juice Klonopin vs xanax dosage Sell viagra Cefamandole Phentermine 37.5 mg Viagra dangers Phendimetrazine versus phentermine Cheap cialis tablets Drug testing and tramadol Phentermine overnight delivery Buy vicodin Cialis new viagra Tramadol and online pharmacy Mirtazapine Phentermine online cod Hydrocodone apap 5 500 Cialis effective soft tab treatment Using viagra Pharmacies ship phentermine c.o.d method Soma san diego Bayer Gabapentin Phentermine no doctor Otc viagra Cephalexin Cheapest phentermine 90 day orders Lowest cost generic viagra Buy phentermine online com Cheap online phentermine prescription Oxacillin Identify xanax Demerol Crohns phentermine Viagra cialis levivia comparison dosages Tramadol sale Fiorinal Claritin Information on the drug xanax Saquinavir Phentermine ionamin canada Omeprazole Use of viagra Cheap overnight phentermine Warfarin Order fioricet online Colesevelam Mephenytoin Buy cheap meridia Delivery generic overnight viagra Phentermine tablets Adipex phentermine pill Guanfacine Appetite suppressants and phentermine Xanax bar Geodon Capreomycin Us pharmacy phentermine Diclofenac Viagra class action Fastin phentermine Buy cheap phentermine free fedex Compare ionamin phentermine Meridia Nitrofurantoin Lowest price viagra Premarin Vaccine Codeine Phentermine pill online discount Cialis immunity Risperdal Cyclopenthiazide Robaxin Phentermine price comparison Plendil Phentermine for less Ambien Hydrocodone online pharmacy Buy online phentermine shipping Watson soma Citalopram Blue diet phentermine pill Flovent Herbal viagra for woman Time released xanax Menadione Cash on delivery for phentermine Vicodin info Cialis compare levivia viagra Fenofibrate Fluticasone Edrophonium Noctec Phentermine and lexapro Viagra testimonials Viagra alternate Dibenzepin Probenecid Eldepryl Viagra doseage Amsterdam holland viagra Encare Buy cialis viagra Echothiophate Cheap viagra in uk Marijuana Phentermine next day Viagra price Buy phentermine mastercard Estraderm Effects viagra Non perscription generic cialis Amantadine Buy viagra online get prescription Hydrocodone bitartate Xanax no prescription needed Picture of soma Buy Hydrocodone Alendronate Drug information on xanax Hydrocodone prescription online Lunesta Generic viagra and generic drug Pyridoxine Cheap viagra in the uk Lomefloxacin Phentermine and methamphetamine Ceforanide Cod online pharmacy phentermine sell Atenolol Lawsuits involving blindness caused by viagra Xanax effect Canadian pharmacy phentermine Phentermine info Alternative herbal review viagra Keflex Beclomethasone Medical information on tramadol hc Viagra canada Buy viagra pill Guanadrel Zetia Diet drug loss phentermine weight Phentermine fastin Mark martin viagra Ethambutol Free overnight phentermine shipping Phentermine 15 mgs Phentermine to buy Butalbital Per day buy phentermine Phentermine 37_5 Phentermine weight loss stories What do xanax look like Calcitriol Natural viagra alternatives Phenergan Cheep phentermine with cod payments Phentermine delivered overnight Neomycin Tramadol Cilexetil Glyburide Amiodarone Soma carisoprodol Vasotec Hydrocodone online Dangers of phentermine Phentermine pillstore Cheapest place to buy phentermine Zoloft From generic india viagra Phentermine depression Buying viagra online uk Generic phentermine Phentermine line Anagrelide Buy xanax no perscription needed amex accepted Cialis levitra vs Cosopt Tramadol online Free try viagra Is xanax addictive Troleandomycin Pay pal phentermine Fluconazole Methadone Ambien cr dosage Phentermine blue diet pills Order phentermine on line Buy viagra now online Soma gallery Indocin Prozac interact xanax Phentermine diet pill Podophyllum Viagra online canada Meridia online Xanax cash on delivery Ways to inject xanax pills Phentermine florida Phentermine mastercard Buy viagra order viagra 3mg xanax Prochlorperazine Levoxyl Phentermine buy Xanax description Phentermine pictures Flavoxate Tramadol pharmacy Online pharmacy and phentermine overnight Order xanax overnight Pfizer xanax Diet hcl phentermine pill Natural suppliments work like viagra Cialis reviews Viagra dosage Hydrocodone and ibuprofen Cozaar Effects long side term xanax Phentermine from mexico Glucophage Fioricet description Phentermine online doctor prescribed Buy cialis viagra Natural supplement equivalent to xanax Lowest phentermine prices Estrace Phentermine 37 5mg and mastercard Didrex vs phentermine Viagra maker Berman sister female viagra study Levivia viagra Pfizer viagra sperm Online consultations and prescriptions phentermine Smoking xanax Phentermine reviews Thyroid Viagra and ischemic optic neuropathy Cialis company Get viagra online Trichlormethiazide Snorting vicodin Apcalis cialis Anxiety panic disorder xanax Levallorphan Diet pills phentermine Buy Meridia Buying viagra Phentermine pharmacy online consultation Crestor Tramadol hc Phentermine cheap Cheap viagra online prescription Cialis free sample Chlorpropamide Tramadol and drug tests Famciclovir Phentermine 30 mg Tramadol hydrochloride tablet Phentermine without a prescription Online phentermine Viagra usage Anafranil Aura soma Cytotec Ouabain Flurazepam Luxury hotel rome xanax description What is xanax used for Viagra levivia Scopolamine Celexa Xanax no prescription required Phenelzine Viagra and blindness Does phentermine interact with hydrocodone History of phentermine use Cipro Trifluoperazine Buy cheap viagra Prazosin Dovonex Generic viagra soft tab Cialis levitra sales viagra Bupropion Hydroflumethiazide Xanax online overnight Order phentermine overnight Strattera Xanax look alike Phentermine insulin Viagra drug interaction Viagra sales online Cheap tramadol Nexium Ambien overnight Discount generic viagra Cheapest phentermine online no prescription Phentermine resident sale virginia Diphenadione Tramadol sales Butaperazine Letrozole Cheapest viagra uk Ansaid Written prescription for viagra Buy phentermine tablet Buy cod online phentermine Buying vicodin Buy cialis online Tramadol use Order cialis Avelox Phentermine cash on delivery Ethchlorvynol Generic viagra soft tabs Minipress Nitroglycerin Carisoprodol Viagra in woman Ecotrin Macrodantin Bexarotene 50mg generic viagra Levivia and viagra Vicodin prescription Flomax Valium and xanax Bupropion Clidinium Clofazimine Cialis versus viagra Cheap phentermine Best price for viagra in the uk Phentermine prescriptions online Phentermine overnight no perscription Cefuroxime Cheap phentermine perscription Clorazepate No prescription viagra Diet online phentermine pill purchase Online doctors perscriptions xanax steroids Valium vicodin _cialis et levitra Viagra for woman study Comparison levivia viagra Plicamycin Buy viagra without prescription Withdrawal from xanax Lamotrigine Cialis samples Levivia viagra online Viagra alternative herbal supplement Xanax bar effects Colace Iv sample viagra Topamax Soma seed Hydrocodone for ibs Cordarone Kaopectate Pravastatin Keflex Sell viagra online Ephedrine Prozac and xanax induced mood disorder Cafergot Oxtriphylline Dicloxacillin Fosamax Clopidogrel Cheapest viagra prices Bush inauguration speech draft viagra bastard of Cheap generic cialis Corticotropin Prescription soma Epivir Isopropamide Phentermine buy cheap Alendronate Order phentermine phentermine online Methixene Trimethobenzamide Levitra vs cialis Aldactone Itraconazole Phentermine with hoodia Tegretol Phentermine prescribed online Pulmonary hypertension viagra Finasteride Phentermine no rx needed Cheapest online viagra Androgel Ritalin Somatostatin Erectile dysfunction viagra Fluvastatin Oxycodone vs hydrocodone Allopurinol 100 mg viagra Free viagra Bacitracin Phentermine faqs Drug interaction sibutramine and phentermine Phentermine directly and discreetly adipex Female viagra alternative Hydrocodone Cialis pill Aspartame Nitrofurantoin Meridia coupon Cod phentermine Fexofenadine Viagra by mail Lamisil Generic viagra uk Viagra prescription uk Generic cialis uk Free sample herbal viagra Cod hydrocodone Albuterol Phentermine hc Phentermine forums and chats Phentermine 37.5 mg free shipping Propranolol Tricor Pfizer viagra online Lanoxin Viagra cost Tacrolimus Advair Mifepristone Famvir Phentermine 37.5&90 $89 mastercard Buy xanax without a prescription Xanax dosages Xanax Does xanax show up on drug tests Hydrocodone picture Phentermine with free shipping Buy Soma Get online viagra Addiction recovery xanax Levivia vs viagra Miconazole Viagra for sale Buy phentermine online without a prescription Best viagra prices online Compare viagra cialis levivia Fenfluramine Cytarabine Estraderm Order viagra online Herbal phentermine does it work Buy lvivhostcom online viagra viagra Side effects of drug xanax Pictures of mylan xanax Picture of generic xanax Generic cialis india Where can i buy phentermine Fastin Methylphenidate Acquisto cialis Methazolamide Xanax gg 258 Effexor Oxprenolol Phentermine free shipping 90 supply no delay Carbimazole Cheapest phentermine diet pill Xanax withdraw& leukemia symptoms Thiopropazate Lodine Purchase tramadol online Diovan Hydrocodone com Levivia vs viagra Thiothixene Buy cheap phentermine yellow Buy phentermine online prescription Discount cialis online Picture viagra pill Perscription phentermine Prescriptions on line phentermine Buy cialis in canada Minocycline Online consultation xanax Natural viagra type alternatives Purchase tramadol without a prescription Piroxicam Phentermine rx Buy herbal viagra Is there a phentermine shortage Buy viagra Ethosuximide Hexoprenaline Viagra without a prescription Order hydrocodone online Weight loss phentermine Nizoral Best cialis price I need to identify pictures of phentermine Phentermine 37.5mg cheap Buy viagra in canada Xanax photos Method of payment accepted cod phentermine Buy phentermine cod Fosfomycin Cialis western open Alternative new viagra Praziquantel Phentermine by fedex Xanax online prescription Hydrochlorothiazide Canadian cialis Xanax side effects Custom hrt phentermine Herbal viagra affiliate Buy soma Viagra sample Phentermine at cost with no prescription Xanax versus klonopin for chronic anxiety Cialis uk Ordering xanax online Hydrocodone info Metrizamide Where to buy xanax Dalteparin Viagra online ordering Aprobarbital Carbinoxamine Tramadol drug test Buy phentermine prescription Digitalis Cheap tramadol no prescription Norfloxacin Effects of viagra on women Cialis levitra viagra vs vs Alcohol hydrocodone What is phentermine Chlorpromazine Tramadol cash on delivery Cod delivered phentermine Order xanax on line Adipex phentermine prescription Hydroxyprogesterone Benztropine Generic viagra canada Better than viagra Biaxin Discount xanax Tramadol drug interaction Add link phentermine purchase suggest What does xanax do Chlortrimeton Carbarsone Buy discount viagra online Drug interactions with cialis Caverta veega generic viagra Cialis and levitra Mercaptopurine Tramadol without perscription Pyrazinamide Tramadol online pharmacy Amphetamine Proguanil Xanax withdrawal Cod free phentermine shipping Amikacin Pal pay phentermine Ambien 10mg Meridia diet Elavil Tramadol hcl acetaminotran par Buy Cipro Ceftizoxime Depakote Phentermine online pharmacy Order generic cialis Buy prescription viagra Phentermine fact Xanax next day Flucytosine Next day phentermine Phentermine ups shipped Cod diet phentermine pill Buying xanax Avandamet Pediacare Compare generic viagra prices Buy cheap phentermine cod Prilosec Orlistat Order cialis uk Xanax withdrawls Aztreonam Free generic sample viagra Phentermine hcl 37.5 mg Methadone and xanax Promazine Phentermine cod shipping Suicide xanax Cheap viagra online Viagra recreational use Purchase viagra on line Cialis vs levitra Maximum dosage of phentermine Duragesic Cialis comparison levitra viagra Cialis compared to viagra Nicotrol Trimeprazine Adipex between difference phentermine Female spray viagra Viagra on line Naltrexone Beconase Viagra prescription drug Liothyronine Generica viagra Compare prices tramadol Cope Xanax doseage Mevacor Coreg Purchase phentermine online Methamphetamine Accutane Captopril Discount cialis Monopril Without prescription phentermine Buy Fioricet Premphase Lethal dose of xanax Meridia sibutramine Coumadin Cialis price comparison Methotrimeprazine Is tramadol a narcotic Oxyphencyclimine Cosopt Butriptyline Why phentermine Phentermine 37.5 mg diet pill Phentermine medication Irbesartan Herbal alternative to viagra Pravachol Alesse Phentermine sales Phentermine no credit card required Lethal doses klonopin wellbrutrin xanax

f

unk rock


Aftermath of 280 Slides

June 19th, 2008

We launched 280 Slides two weeks ago, and it’s been a great experience. After putting five months of non stop work into it, it’s a good feeling to be able to point to it and say “That’s what I’ve been doing.” It’s also fantastic to be getting all kinds of feedback from people who like (and dislike) the application. It really does help you focus on what matters to people.

We’ve had some great press mentions too (both Slides and Cappuccino):

TechCrunch
Ajaxian
TUAW
Guardian.co.uk

And quite a few blogs. (and twitter)

There’s also been a fair amount of confusion regarding MobileMe and SproutCore. Just to clarify, MobileMe is not based on Objective-J or Cappuccino, and 280 Slides is not based on SproutCore. 280 Slides isn’t part of MobileMe, and we have no affiliation to Apple. Oh, and there are three of us, not two.

Ross at 3:49 pm | Posted in Web, Projects, Technology | No Comments

Safari’s Web Inspector

April 21st, 2008

The WebKit team announced the list of participants they’ll be working with on this year’s Google Summer of Code today. Of particular interest to me was this applicant. Anyone who does serious web work can attest to the difficulty of debugging anything in Safari, meaning that most web developers have pretty much given up and develop in Firefox full time. This is such a shame, since Safari is almost universally a better browser — it’s faster, it supports more of the things I care about, and for all the reasons Gruber listed (and more), it’s the browser I use personally.

The thing is, the WebKit team has known for some time that they have serious issues with debugging. In fact, I’ve been told better debugging support is the number one requested feature. We saw some attention paid to the issue with Drosera, but it turned out to be nothing more than lip service. Our code brings Drosera to a halt in seconds, as do most of the complicated sites we’ve tried it on. Safari desperately needs a profiler, stack traces, and someday step through debugging. Even beyond advanced tools like what Drosera promised and what Firebug has, WebKit fails on some of the most basic levels. This bug is damning. It should be a P1. Any callback function (read: any AJAX request, event handler, etc.) fails to report the error it encounters. Almost every error in our code base is reported as “undefined” by Safari.

Keishi, you’ve got an important job ahead of you. You’ve been tasked with doing what might be the most important thing the WebKit project has done in a long time. Safari has been kicking ass in pretty much every other area, but it’s ignored by web developers precisely because it’s so cruel towards them. I wish you the best of luck in doing this project, and if you’re looking for feature requests, I’ve got at least a million. At the top of my list? Solve the most important limitation of Firebug — not properly recognizing anonymous (eval’d) code. I have high hopes for what this could be by the end of summer, and I’ll definitely be following the progress.

Ross at 1:12 pm | Posted in Apple, Web, Technology | Comments (1)

Lions in a Cage

March 23rd, 2008

Paul Graham wrote an essay last week where he compared employees of big companies to lions in a cage at the zoo. Sort of.

I was in Africa last year and saw a lot of animals in the wild that I’d only seen in zoos before. It was remarkable how different they seemed. Particularly lions. Lions in the wild seem about ten times more alive. They’re like different animals. And seeing those guys on their scavenger hunt was like seeing lions in a zoo after spending several years watching them in the wild.

Technically, Paul is comparing the startling impact of seeing lions in a cage after seeing them in the wild to his experience seeing these employees (’those guys on their scavenger hunt”) after spending the last three years watching founders at Y Combinator. Nevertheless, the article (and this quote in particular) caused quite the controversy around the Internet (or at least around the tiny subset of the Internet that reads Paul’s essays, myself included).

It’s not hard to read that last sentence and interpret it as a claim that working for a big company is like being an animal in a cage. I don’t think it was Paul’s intention to say exactly that, but even if it were, I think the point is immaterial to the essay as a whole. It is, at its worst, an exaggeration to prove a point, something I think we can all admit to doing from time to time (indeed it’s something that great writers have always done).

The central thesis of the essay is that being an employee is harmful to individual programmers, and that being a startup founder is a better way to live. In fact, he states this explicitly:

Watching employees get transformed into founders makes it clear that the difference between the two is due mostly to environment—and in particular that the environment in big companies is toxic to programmers.

It seems to me that Jeff Atwood’s (and others) primary argument is that some employees have actually enjoyed working for big companies, himself included, and Paul is thus making a generalization that is not true. But Paul makes no claim about employees being unhappy. Though he doesn’t address the topic directly, he sets up the entire essay by saying that he isn’t talking about some special property of founders, he believes there is something missing from the life of an employee. The absence of something you don’t even know you’re missing is hardly likely to make you unhappy on its own.

When I left Apple, it was not because I was unhappy. I was working with phenomenal individuals on an interesting set of problems. I left because I was excited about the potential of our company. And despite having worked in a great environment, at an amazing company (Apple was my dream job), I feel that all the things Paul said about founders at Y Combinator ring true. I am definitely “more worried and happier at the same time.” So is John Gruber. When I had lunch with my old team on Friday, at least one person mentioned noticing the change as well.

I think Paul’s food analogy was a much better one to illustrate the point. There is plenty of science to back up the claim that most of the food we eat is unhealthy (and I’m just as guilty as anyone else), however the position is still controversial. People who avoid highly processed foods, high fructose corn syrup, refined sugar, white flour, and lots of red meat are generally healthier. These people will tell you that they are happier, and more active, and that it’s directly related to what they eat. Yet these people are also ridiculed by the majority as fringe environmentalists, lunatics, or hippies. Most people will live their entire life eating what everyone else does and will be perfectly happy doing so, but until you’ve actually gone out and changed your lifestyle and started eating “like a hippy,” you can’t possibly know whether or not you would feel better than you already do.

Eating like a hippy isn’t for everyone and neither is starting a startup, but a lot more people would thrive in a startup environment than you think, just as a lot more people really would feel better eating like a hippy. Not everyone will be convinced by Paul’s essay, and that’s okay. There are parts I disagree with as well, in particular with respect to getting some experience at a company before starting your own. As a whole, though, the essay is consistent with what I’ve experienced at Y Combinator, and other founders I’ve talked to agree.

Ross at 5:45 pm | Posted in Web, Technology, Life | No Comments

Optimus Maximus

February 22nd, 2008

Those of you who read Engadget, or follow tech blogs, or are otherwise incredibly geeky, have surely heard of the Optimus Maximus. Vaporware for years, Engadget has finally got their hands on one. The verdict?

Typing on it, well, sucks.

This is a shining example of people building tech products that appeal to geeks, but overlooking the most basic, important functions. Sure, it’s nice to look at, and it sounds really cool to hot swap your keys. But, if it can’t type, then what good is it to anyone? What, I’m supposed to have two keyboards at my desk? One for typing, and one for … having little pictures? There’s a reason the iPhone is also a great phone.

At $1500 it might not matter, because only crazy people are going to buy one anyway.

Ross at 10:16 am | Posted in Technology | No Comments

Why I Love Vimeo

February 20th, 2008

My good friend Brian sent me a link to his demo reel yesterday, which he uploaded to Vimeo. I’d never heard of it before, but I was impressed with the site.

The most obvious reason to fall in love with Vimeo is the quality of the videos they are serving up. Default quality looks leaps and bounds better than YouTube’s video, but the really great part is that they offer HD video in full 720p. The quality is really amazing. For Brian, this was a no brainer — after all, who wants their demo reel to be viewed in a super compressed low quality format?

Brian used Vimeo to make himself look better, and I decided we should too. We already had YouTube search integration in our upcoming product, so I decided to take a look at Vimeo’s API and integrate some results from their site too. It only took about an hour to get everything hooked up and working, using the same system we had already built for YouTube, and the higher quality video really does make our app look better.

Since we were going for quality, we wanted to highlight the search results that came from an HD source. Unfortunately, there was no way to determine whether or not a video was HD with the current API. I decided to send an e-mail to the contact listed on the developer pages, Ted Roden. Within minutes, Ted had responded saying that he thought having an HD flag in the response was a great idea, and first thing the next morning, I had a message in my inbox explaining how the new information worked.

But the story doesn’t end there. A few hours later, after realizing how long our searches were taking, I fired off another e-mail to Ted asking for a few tips to speed things up. You see, the design of their API was such that search results only contained a video id, and a separate call was needed to get the full information for each video object. On top of that, yet another call was needed for thumbnails, and since we use two, that was 3 calls per search result. Needless to say, the overhead from all those requests added up pretty quickly, so I wanted to know if there was another way to get the same job done. Ted responded and asked what information I needed in the search results to do what I was doing, and I let him know. An hour later, he posted this to the Vimeo forums, and sent me a message letting me know that the search