This smells like the new corporate motivational poster, except for cooler kids. IMO a little pretentious, just make something people want, without the wall ornaments.
Wow, even posters get their middlebrow dismissal, with its characteristic signature of uncharitability pushed so far that it crosses over into mistakenness.
Even the most formidable people often put "ornaments" in their sight to remind them of things they might otherwise forget. So it's mistaken to conclude that such things are as a class useless. And I know from experience that this particular sentence is useful, because the same sentence is printed on YC t-shirts, and surprisingly often I find myself in office hours answering founders' questions by pointing to their shirts and saying "make something people want."
...middlebrow... characteristic signature of uncharitability... crosses over into mistakenness.
This is honestly why I sometimes have a hard time taking YC seriously... your essays are really informative and insightful, and YC does and sponsors some really cool things, but the inability to either neutrally run a web forum or stay hands-off instead of jumping in with borderline flames when HN or YC engenders any kind of negative feedback puts a dent in that good impression.
Actually responding to the various types of bad behavior is essential to running a web forum. In fact it's probably the single most important thing one has to do. And I call out this type whenever I see it, whether it has to do with YC or not.
Hey pg, I've followed your writings ever since Hackers & Painters was published, and you've thoroughly influenced the decisions I've taken at every major juncture of my career. Sorry if the initial comment was too quick trigger, I did not mean any malice towards the project creators. I've left more useful feedback elsewhere in this thread.
The essence of my discomfort with this is that because this is YC's slogan, having a YC startup publish it with the blessing of YC the organization seems a bit like self-worship. I never got the sense through any of your writings that you'd advocate for this sort of thing. I guess I interpreted it more as YC worship than a what's presented by the message, and I doubt I am the only one that might think that.
Alvy Brooks is not a YC startup, and we didn't ask them to do this. But it was cool with me, since they're donating the proceeds to Watsi. And the poster looks good.
pg's comments have a downvote button too... If everyone agreed with you, his comment might be an indecipherable gray-on-gray. I think he has as much right to comment how he wants as the rest of us do and just like many OP's who defend their articles or startups on threads here.
Doesn't the fact that you need to point at them rather somewhat suggest that owning "ornaments" with the phrase isn't useful other than for the sake of art? Buyers of this poster likely won't have their own pg around to point at it and remind them to pay attention to the meaning :)
No: (a) the t-shirts probably also work without me pointing to them, and (b) me noticing that the shirt has the answer is an instance of the phenomenon I describe.
a) Fair enough b) Do you really need that, or does it just feel nice to see it? If they weren't wearing the t-shirt would you really not think of it? If I put up a poster in my kitchen saying "Eat!" then I would often notice it when it's completely relevant, but that doesn't mean it's a useful poster.
Your writings are readable and often useful but not exactly highbrow affairs… Perhaps the horse you're sitting on is not as tall as you seem to imagine.
It may not be for you, but there is nothing pretentious about it. There are many ways to motivate yourself. Having physical reminders to keep important stuff at the top of your mind is just one way of doing it. It works for some.. it may even work for everyone if people weren't negative about this stuff.
A good example I like is Bruce Lee's letter to himself on his chief definite aim: http://www.lettersofnote.com/2011/03/my-definite-chief-aim.h.... Some may find this stupid, pretentious, or cheesy, but I bet it was useful for Bruce Lee and that is what matters.
I just got one because (1) I find myself coming back to this saying a lot, (2) I like this motivational type of stuff (I actually want all of little posters up in FB), and (3) donating to Watsi is a good thing to do.
Even the most formidable people often put "ornaments" in their sight to remind them of things they might otherwise forget. So it's mistaken to conclude that such things are as a class useless. And I know from experience that this particular sentence is useful, because the same sentence is printed on YC t-shirts, and surprisingly often I find myself in office hours answering founders' questions by pointing to their shirts and saying "make something people want."