Don't have much to add, but enjoyed it, cool.
35 karma · joined August 14, 2014
We did have a few issues.
1. The hint on the equation simplification section describes the format of the simplified equation as 6 x l. (actual number varies 2 x l x 3) But the only answer that is accepted is in the format is 6l, sans the 'x'.
2. I found the hints' font coloring very hard to read on my old eyes. Also, we did not find out the desired input methods until fairly far along. The SHIFT-8 etc was new to my son and kind of obscure given how soft the font was. Maybe a heads up of the conventions at the beginning?
3. In the word questions section, sometimes the amount being compared to determine the total amount of cages vs squirrels was the exact same. Actual examples -> 2 cages and 2 squirrels vs 2 cages and 2 squirrels. I assuming the desired question would have compared 2 cages and 3 squirrels vs 3 cages and 2 squirrels. (Although that doesn't make sense either.)
4. The spoken word button is a great idea, but the voice is almost incomprehensible to a 10 year old. I know you didn't create the voice, but if there is another easier to understand voice that would help.
5. My son was initially confused by going some distance in a negative amount as a representation for reverse.
6. My son is very competitive and he enjoyed the speed challenge, but there was no reward or signification of accomplishment at the end of the challenge. He wanted to know how well he did.
6. There are some minor grammar errors.
My impression was that the layout and design was on par with other online offerings that we use daily. I actually liked the lower distraction level. The site and UX were predictable, easy to use and did not add to the stress level of the student. I'll have him do some more over the next few days. Keep up the good work!
Also, you have not included much product validation or market fit research in your deck. My sense of your presentations appear to me like a very tech oriented idea more than a product at this point. Not unusual for early stage, but that image could be changed by including a productization road map in your deck.
TLDR: Focus more on communicating customer validation, monetary size of opportunity and your business model. Good luck!
When its time to respond try to frame what you say in the context of their needs and what they have communicated. If you can't think of anything immediately rephrase and confirm what they said and you can think about the meaning of it later when you are post processing the interaction, again like a scientist. You aren't going to be good at it at first. Experiment. Even if the interaction turned out negative don't take it personal it's still another data point to help you learn how to do it better.
By doing this procedure you can learn about how your emotional system works and how human dynamics work and when its appropriate to talk about yourself in conversation. It takes time and it has a lumpy reward curve, but it is very satisfying.
I agree with the idea its the mental health of the person cutting things off, me in this case. But, indeed, the lion's share of my mental health issues could be attributed to the toxic nature of my relationship with mother. I was very close to being able to maintain stable relationships outside of the familial one. It was a clue that I was probably ok. Once I cut her out and wasn't under assault, my other relationships improved dramatically. (Intimacy etc) I was able to finally separate from her, find my own natural level of dysfunction and begin to live my own life.
I think it was fairly common to give little thought to ramifications of policy, development or business plans beyond the immediate financial concerns or desired policy outcome. For instance the pipeline in North Dakota might have included a single public hearing with only a few people in attendance, perhaps the local land owners in the pipeline's path, and very likely little to no indigenous people's input. Very likely it would not have occurred to anyone to contact them and they otherwise would not be aware of it. My father was on a town council of a small town in the Midwest and lots of development went on with little or no input from the town. Sometimes they had hearings where no one would be in attendance, sometimes they didn't even have a hearing. Lots of wetlands and marshes were plowed under and filled without any deliberation.
1. Many of the regulatory systems which are supposed to protect the populace have been captured or have their effectiveness impaired by special interests, ie. the revolving door between the SEC and Wall Street, the FDA and Big Pharma, and DOE and Big Oil
2. Even when our institutions are not captured there is a perverse logic supporting institutional missions that lead to abuse of power. The Tuskegee experiment makes perfect sense you've got to have a control group in order to better understand the pathology so you can better protect the populace.
3. Poor execution or formation of government policies that would in any other profession be cause for malpractice or being disbarred or worse are routinely foisted upon the populace.
4. Corruption
5. Increasingly your rights and legal protections are seen by institutions as being granted by those institutions instead of being protected by those institutions. Your rights are correctly perceived by the institutions as hindrances to their institutional missions.
Better legal policies wouldn't even crack the top 5 reason for me to trust government. We are way beyond wonky tweaks to our legal system. All of the above essentially boils down to accountability. If policy makers and lawmakers could be held legally accountable for policy mistakes, possibly even financially responsible for the mayhem they cause I for one would feel a much closer allegiance to our government.