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Oh my! That was harsh and cleverly concealed too! My observation was lost in translation. I have nothing against Africa. I read Achebe and consider Things Fall Apart to be one of the best books I have read along with Hundred Years of Solitude.

Yes, If I may: in countries like Africa, dogs are usually on their own (even if they are nominally someone's pet) and quite often get run over on the road. They are left there to rot before someone buries them or throws them over to rot elsewhere without affecting traffic or roadside business. It is undignified for dogs, especially so for humans.

irishcoffee, you should listen to this http://www.npr.org/programs/invisibilia/382451600/entangleme...

"This is, I recognise, a romantic view of dying, but it is achievable with love, morphine, and whisky."

Oh, tell that to a 7 year old who has terminal cancer. What an amazingly blinkered view this guy has!

They are talking about helping blind people and you are talking about terrible scrolling and closing the website?

What's bus factor?

I started https://filespin.io when employed. We are doing well in enterprise space. Getting ready to release for developers.

One advice I could have used when I started: It is unnecessary to worry about your current employer. The truth is: "current employer" is a blanket name for only a handful of people and most often they don't care very much as long as what you do isn't affecting them adversely. Have non-compete agreements sorted out and always be honest and upfront about your venture.

Do what's best for your customers and for yourself. Ultimately, that's the only thing that matters.

Btw, my then boss was very supportive and we are now doing business with each other.

I assume it was unintentional. Your last paragraph appears rather opaque to my tired mind.

This is great. Years ago I used to help out at Honey Bee Network http://www.sristi.org/hbnew/ and saw hundreds and hundreds of innovative solutions by people from all over India. If you can navigate the rather clunky interface at the website, there's a lot of great solutions for problems that millions of people in low-income population face.

Here are some: Motorcycle cultivator http://www.sristi.org/hbnew/hb_inno_detail.php?ID=DTP0010000...

Bamboo bicycle http://www.sristi.org/hbnew/hb_inno_detail.php?ID=KNW0020000...

This is very well said. Thank you for posting.

Of course, it's quite important that you are not made to spit on your keyboard. Shame on Bill Gates.

An oft-repeated well-meaning but rather ignorant objection. Read this http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/08/why-explore-space.html

>Bacteria don't desire anything, and they don't seek out anything or plan anything.

When you say this, aren't you are making precisely the same mistake you claim the expert was making?! I am sure Dr Arjun knows very well that evolutionary goals are local and specific to the circumstance a creature finds itself in.

>The intelligence that the hominid lineage has evolved gives human beings advantages that bacteria will never possess.

:-) how anthropomorphic! Intelligence may not be a survival trait as you seem to assume. We simply don't know that. Btw, bacteria has been a lot longer on this planet than primates. We are way out of our depth when it comes to understanding how they work (I am simply paraphrasing a friend's statement, he is doing fundamental research on biochemical pathways)

I understand you don't want to be Elon Musk. But, surely, you are not suggesting Elon Musk is a dumb worker, are you?

Life is built to maximise survival, I suppose. Note that Life is not the World (I refer to the physical non-biological things as world). I would say, as far as science can probe, world isn't there to maximise anything.

Graham Greene said: "Point me out the happy man and I will point you out either egotism, selfishness, evil - or else an absolute ignorance."

This world isn't built for maximising happiness of humans, this is true whether you follow scientific rationale or religious faith. When you pursue happiness, you are working against the system. There in nothing wrong with it, however it does tell you why Graham Greene concluded the above.

From my experience at a very large bank. No one can do anything significant (such as connect to a database) without leaving a audit trail at said bank. It is very much possible to audit and it is being done routinely in places, at banking systems, for instance.

Thanks for the link. Had this installed on iPad and 5 yr old daughter can't stop coloring the pages and watch them come alive! Well done.

Thank you!

>What was he indoctrinated into thinking?

The parent did not say that. You did.

This sounds patronizing. As adults, you make your choice and face the consequences. That you may have dependents does not reduce your moral responsibility one bit.

Heinlein has used it. "By His Bootstraps" is quite enjoyable for it's recursive time paradoxes.

>wasted lifes? You should learn more about Gates foundation. Here's a passionate speech he gave recently in London about eradicating polio http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=R-JRogtrwRk

Yes, I'd suggest http://www.amazon.com/Beyond-Last-Blue-Mountain-Authorised/d... where the founder himself explains how

That's not true. Communication(what email is for) is a basic need. Consider how much you spend on your mobile phone every year.

Don't know if Derek has children. They sure make you intensely local. While raising a family, if you have a company/product that is aimed globally as well, then you don't have much of a choice in focussing globally if you are to succeed. The choice is not necessarily so stark for others as it is for Derek. I do understand his personal preference and that's perfectly fine.

I understand the pain (I have been in a similar position, less harsh than yours though, now things have turned out OK). There is one thing that has helped me through: showing unconditional kindness, regardless of the situation. I also read Buddha (I am not religious, Buddha was an exceptional man who understood much and took the time to show how to do relationships well).

This is in-line with my own experience as a 37 year old founder (married, one child).

The biggest hurdle is "lack of willingness or ability to take risks" and the biggest advantage is "Professional networks". Most often, this is reversed if you are a young founder.

I am sure you recognize a better reflection of what she favors is in the life-changing work that Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is doing.

Thank you! This is a nice hack. Going to implement this at home.