For anyone who doesn't speak Polish and is curious, Lem's name is pronounced 'Stan-ee-swav Lem". The l with a slash is similar to a "w" sound, and the w is similar to a "v/f".
I'm a naming expert and I've actually written a book on 'how to name your startup'. Currently working on a Kindle version.
As a part of the book, I interviewed Sahil Laviniga, the founder of Gumroad. He invests a little on the side, and he told me that a bad name is a bad sign. From the transcript:
I think a name is actually quite representative of the long-term commitments of the founders/ founding team. A name that sounds ridiculous or uses an uncommon TLD may seem throwaway and imply a lack of product sense. Founders should be picking a name with a long-term potential.
I believe that a good domain name is an important success factor in building and launching consumer web services. It's not in my top ten but it could be. It's certainly something we think about a lot when making investments and working with companies post investment.
So for at least two investors, the name definitely matters.
If you're looking for specific examples, look into Wesabe (lost to Mint) an Fukime (no longer exists). In general, a good name won't make you successful, but a bad name will hold you back.
I'd disagree a litte. I wrote that post and for some people (like me) there just is not much a middle ground. Maybe I'm just too immature, impulsive, or I don't know what, but I can't moderate myself.
I'd say extremism when it comes to being healthy is, by definition, healthy.
Don't get me wrong: I drink socially and I'm fine with the occasional 'all-out' experiences, both for myself and others. Even if it is unhealthy.
But quitting alcohol entirely, aside from being a life-saving practice for some people, is in no way 'unhealthy'. So even if it is extreme (which I disagree with, many people don't drink at all), why would one consider this unhealthy?
It's not like he's going for an extreme carrots-only diet or something.
I don't drink alcohol either. On some occasions, when I was offered alcohol I was more or less urged to justify my decision against it. I think It's alarming that people seem to have the notion that you have to decide against drinking alcohol instead of making the choice to do drink. For me, the extreme stance is to underestimate alcohol.
That's kind of the catch though. Indian food is drastically different by region. Many american-indian restaurants will try to offer a full variety of various region dishes and may be great at some but weaker at others. So depending what a certain restaurant is good at and where your indian friend is from... you get different results.
That said, the more options the better in my opinion!
Oh man, that guy was awesome. I went there 2-3 times a week back when I was in Pittsburgh. I still haven't found better Indian food out in the Bay Area.
The quality of life is really great here in Pittsburgh. I have a huge 1 bedroom, back yard, front porch, in a great safe neighborhood, a block from major bus lines. All for $600/month. It'd run me at least triple that in somewhere like SF or NYC. Sure, you can't get some of the things you'd get in those cities, but quite frankly, you can come close. There are dozens of ethic restaurants a block away, 10+ museums and galleries within 5-10 miles, and best of all, it's cheap enough to actually have time to visit them.
I live close to Pittsburgh but in the middle of nowhere, OH. I Work in Squirrel Hill sometimes but mostly from home. I have a 4bedroom 3bath house with a 2 car garage on 15 acres that costs me ~900 per month. You couldn't rent a small apartment in some cities for that. However, you give up the convenience of being in the city and all the activities if that's the lifestyle you want to live. I personally love my fortress of solitude.
At one point, I looked into living in NYC, and the sheer cost of living in that city was intimidating. Salaries are often higher to match, so it balances out somewhat, but I like my space and I don't think I'd be okay with paying $1,800 for a studio apartment no matter how much somebody was paying me.
For those who do enjoy the biggest cities, I'm not knocking your choices. A lot of people are energized by living in such a hustling and bustling place. I totally get it.
Evernote's slow push toward the social ecosystem has been worrying me. It's fundamentally a mind-dump / journal to me, and I have absolutely zero desire to share notes straight from the program itself. The fact that I could send out personal journal entries to Facebook worries me, even though it's not likely...I just don't like the functionality being there to begin with.
It's a private, cloud-based Evernote alternative. It doesn't have nearly all the features Evernote does yet, but it's getting there. Turtl puts privacy before all else (uses client-side crypto to protect everything).
I think your experience describes your feelings in the city. As someone who grew up half in a city and half in the country, I feel more at home and more significant in an urban environment.
Definitely. Didn't want my sentiments to apply to all cities. See my reply above. A lot of places that embody the spirit of a city, without the "shut out" feeling.
Certainly depends on the person. Which, whether FLW's desire or not, is why forcing an option on everyone and assuming it's the best for each person is a pretty weak way of doing things.
That's actually my favorite part of humanity: there are a lot of different ways of life/attitudes. Just a matter of finding the one you sync up with best.
I'm writing a book on naming your startup. Part of the process is checking for trademarks and secretary of state registrations. If you follow Silicon Valley (the hbo show) they actually dealt with this a few episodes ago.
I thought this article would be of use to everyone out there who wants to avoid trademark messiness. Hope it's useful.
Here's a great free course for anyone interested in learning the language: http://polish.slavic.pitt.edu/firstyear/