joelmaat

I've noticed the same thing. How could they possible know that I know of these people I see. Perhaps they do look at who I view, and who views me.

Its quite disturbing, but at the same time fairly impressive. I'm very curious.

He needs to learn how to make money himself to fund his vision. This is key. Is he a good market trader? Can he do little things to setup his life and fund his big vision? Can he use up Amazon's AW3 service? Can he make more efficient algorithms? Can he make better guesses to not need so much capital and time?

I think the VCs are not a good fit for him at this stage. Maybe when his ideas are further along (giving him enough leverage to hold on to most of the company) then he'll be ready for venture capital.

You should learn Java, Python, Objective C, and maybe Ruby (on Rails) or PHP. Ruby seems to be in decline, and Python is on the rise.

Startup idea brainstorming, research, and market testing :).

Small market for that though.

Old news.

If you are that close, then wait. If the job is that boring and slow (since you said bureaucratic), then you should be able to automate it all away, and spend some time at home thinking about your future. You could make significant progress with the design of your product, culture, and entry strategy while securing your financial future. When you have your product ready to go and market tested (shh...), then jump. Maybe start paying some people on the side to help get things set up for you!

Good luck.

(..sounds like you work at Google, eh?)

For me they looked through everything once I got (worked) there, and harassed me by playing it all back. It was very annoying. Your mileage may vary, as I may have been singled out.

Better diet, less garbage into the animals they farm to get food.

I tried to, given the opportunity. I thought it time to level up yet again.

A few thousand trading on the stock market.

To me this is very impressive. Their efficiency, growth, and margins are just staggering. I hope they succeed, but do so responsibly and ethically. And with an attention to quality and relevance.

Damn that 2009 job request of mine. I coulda, woulda, and shoulda. Haha.

This all depends on how lucky/smart you are with the job you select. At many large companies, and at a few (not yet baked) startups you will probably feel as though you aren't having much impact.

I am mostly on the startup/entrepreneurial/side project route because my day jobs were weird and completely devoid of meaning.

No, I wouldn't be more interested in leaving a job for a week, but there are those working on their own thing (or, shock, not working). My main point was that there are other ways to gauge how well an Engineer can write (and deliver) code.

Its great that you've never turned down an candidate due to lack of a code sample. I think passing on someone over such a thing is a bit unwise.

Its best (for most hackers) to work at night through to the early morning. Zen. 1am - 8am. Then you go to sleep, wake up after lunch and do it again.

Get your diet together so you don't need too much sleep :).

Sure, unless I'm on a runway to make more. Life would be boring; maybe I'd become an inventor.

That's what interviews, temporary contracts, or 1 week in-house trials are all about. If an Engineer doesn't have a code sample, then you should move forward and find another way to see them write, critique, and complete code.

I recently tested the job market and found that I also had no code sample that I could share, but I know personally that it doesn't make me any less of a coder.

Your loss.

Learn how to do these things in your head. External lists mainly exist to help your supervisor track what you are doing (so they "know what's going on"), and to help you fight your own forgetfulness.

If you have a setpoint in your mind of where you are trying to go, then simply stay focused and don't stop moving until you get there. When the load becomes too much for your short-term memory, then make a few notes to remind yourself of what you are trying to do.

Set a vague target, then leave your mind and shear willpower to do the rest.

1. Financial and career

- Payoff, in full, my remaining student loan balance.

- Launch my online business before the end of February.

2. Social and cultural

- Donate 10% of every dime that enters my bank account to charitable causes of my choice.

- Refresh social circle to include only supportive, like-minded individuals with goals similar to my own.

3. Spiritual and ethical

- Listen to Brainwave Entrainment audio and meditation tapes for 30 minutes EVERYDAY, preferrably before going to bed.

- Listen to online sermons as a baby step to getting back in tune with my religion.

4. Home and family

- Position myself to purchase or build a 4b/3ba single family home by the end of the year, for atleast 5% less than the going market rate.

5. Mental and education

- Read self-help and personal development material for atleast 30 minutes each day.

-- Subscribe to and read atleast 100 publications related to the startup, software development, and marketing categories.

-- Read 1 book each week on any of the following topics: starting a business, software architecture, online marketing, personal branding.

- Attend 1 personal development seminar.

6. Physical and health

- Cook my own meals by the end of Q1 2011.

- Drop bodyfat percentage from 14.4 to 11.

- Gain 15lbs of lean body mass.

Not even done yet..

Reach for the stars.

You should obviously be doing projects on the side to not atrophy. As for the smaller company route: since you have a family, then who cares. Just stay sharp and network. Maybe watch the projects you are on, just in case you need to jump ship. Use the free time to put in motion your own vision for life.

I had a short and painful stint there, buddy (its been over a year, though).

Hopefully, given all the press, things are a bit better now.

Google is average, really. Especially if you aren't in Engineering. I would agree that the Bay Area is a good place to be, but to succeed, you need a brand of your own and a high quality network of contacts. The day-to-day struggles of operating a business you can learn from others (ask), or by reading a book. One important thing you will have to worry about is hiring. How are you going to attract the level of talent you will likely need to succeed? You will probably need a good brand of your own, a great business idea, and a good network of contacts to recommend/help you. What position best sets you up to meet these needs?

1. Bayesian filtering, etc

2. Neural Networks

3. How to make money

They waste a lot of engineering resources, but almost everyone somehow works long hours. They could be even more efficient.

Get 3. Negotiate.

Their design isn't up to snuff, I'd agree. So, it appears all that research and the brain trust nets a let down.

Please be gentle

I love this!