January 2012
1 post
A Moment for Reflection
When I started this blog two years ago, I set out to capture a side of the tech world that I felt was being overlooked: the people behind the scenes — and the sense of community that binds them together.
“Your Startup Sucks”, though silly, was imagined as a good guy’s travelog — a personal narrative probing the winding corridors of NYC’s business world. Its...
December 2011
3 posts
We Need Someone to Bridge the Gap
trevorowens:
It’s 48 hours before elections close for the NYTM Board. Last year I outlined my reasons for voting for Evan Korth of NYU/HackNY and here I’d like to explain the reasoning behind my vote for this year.
Let’s start by asking: What’s missing from the NYTM Board?
Take a look at the Board and you’ll see a cast of accomplished and inspiring people. Dawn Barber, Scott Heiferman, Esther...
Building MongoDB for Fun and Profit
This post was originally published on the College2Startup blog.
“How’d you land a job at 10gen?”
My name is Brandon Diamond, and I’m a Database Kernel Engineer at 10gen. I’m very active in the startup community having served as the producer of the NY Tech Meetup; I’m also involved in several other groups including the Hacker Union (HackerUnion.org) as well as the Brown ...
Me, Myself, and the NY Tech Meetup
It Begins
Two years and four months ago, I got off the subway and walked through the doors of FIT for my first NY Tech Meetup. Inside, I expected to find startups and demos. Instead, I found a movement.
Later that night I sent Nate Westheimer the first of what would be many emails:
I love what you’re doing at the NYTM. Is there anything I can do to help?
Over the months, I’ve...
November 2011
1 post
5 tags
Why The MongoDB Hate?
Disclosure: I hack on MongoDB. Update: Check out Eliot’s (10gen’s CTO) response here.
I was a little surprised to see all of the MongoDB hate in this Hacker News thread (and later this similar proggit thread). I’m going to do my best to reply to these concerns directly and with a minimum of breast-beating. There seems to be quite a bit of misinformation out there: lots of...
August 2011
2 posts
Like free pizza? And hacking? Come to the August... →
Something Worth Fighting For
I fear for the future of the PC. The whole of consumer tech seems to have embraced the idea of autopilot computing: we’ve traded our freedom of choice for hollow devices coated in black lacquer and chained to strict software repositories and restrictions. If we dare defy the manufacturer by running unapproved software, we risk remote deactivation and lawsuits.
I fear for the future of...
July 2011
4 posts
Announcing 56k: A NY Tech News and Culture Podcast
Well, I’ve finally gone and done it. Meet 56k.
I’ve been wanting to put together a podcast for a long, dreadful time; something led me to believe that it’d be quicker to assemble than a high quality blog post. I was sorely mistaken.
If you listen (and I hope you do!), you’ll find something of a hitchhiker’s guide to the soft underbelly of the NYC tech world. It...
Saved Windows with GNU Screen
I seem to have a certain affinity for obscene numbers of local screen windows. Rather than do all my development remotely or in a VM, I’ve put together a simple little hack so I can get back to work with a minimum of ^A-c.
The script allows you to quickly re-open any number of screen windows, grouped by name. You tell the script what to do using a simple configuration file consisting of...
The NYC Hacker Townhall. Join us! →
An Open Letter to the Media: ARGHHGHGHHG.
Dear Media,
It would seem that you’re struggling with a teensy bit of semantics — namely, the precise meaning of the word “hacker”. Let’s get this sorted out, shall we?
Fig. 1: A Cracker.
The root of the problem seems to be the distinction between bad hackers and good hackers. Many seem to swallow the qualifier outright, insisting that all hackers are zit faced...
June 2011
9 posts
Putting LulzSec in Perspective
For one reason or another, everyone on the Internet is talking about LulzSec — the latest and, well… latest cracking sensation. Think Zero Cool meets 4chan for a very twisted, very inappropriate playdate.
Since the whole lulzy affair started, coverage has gradually increased both in frequency and righteousness. And now that LulzSec has since “abandoned ship” (crawling...
“There are folks who spend their time doing actual scientific research into...”
– Mathew L, in reply to “How to hire a (fucking) developer”. Well said, sir.
How to Hire Developers
This is a SFW version of an article I wrote called “How to (#$@*&!) Hire Developers”.
This is a topic that has really gotten out of hand. There are all sorts weighing in these days — along with far too much hand waving by middle managers and idealist super hackers.
So let’s cut to the chaff, shall we? Here’s how to hire a great developer:
1. Use credentials.
...
How to (Fucking) Hire Developers
This is a fairly coarse article. There’s a gentler version posted here.
This is a topic that has really gotten out of hand. There are all sorts weighing in these days — along with far too much jowl waggling by middle managers and idealist super hackers.
So let’s cut the shit and get down to business, shall we? Here’s how to fucking hire a great developer:
1. Use...
WatchTide change at the lagoon.
“What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly (…) it would be strange...”
– Thomas Paine
O' Brave New World, That Has Such UI In't!
“You’ve got to choose between happiness and what people used to call high art. We’ve sacrificed the high art.”
- Mustafa Mond, Brave New World (A. Huxley)
For two decades, we’ve been mind-meltingly fortunate. A defense network designed to facilitate communication in the face of nuclear armageddon has, in time, blossomed into a gleaming instrument of freedom, liberty, and...
“A fire eater must eat fire even if he has to kindle it himself.”
– I. Asimov: “Bridle and Saddle”, Astounding Science-Fiction (June 1942)
Shifting My Bits
I seem to continually make the same mistake: I get hung up on something, sit on it for awhile, and digest it down to a grossly oversimplified 140-character treatise that manages to insult half of my Twitter followers and alienate the rest. It’s a small problem.
I’ll often promise to think things over and come back with a cleanly written, well-argued blog post — but that never...