Maserati Problem

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Maserati%20Problem

by jasonlbaptiste • 16 years ago

102 42 16 years ago

urbandictionary.com

jasonlbaptiste2• 16 years ago

Come up with mock Ask HN "Maserati Problem" posts:

- Ask HN: How do I deal with picking the right chef for my startup?

- Ask HN: What is the best private airfield in the SF/Bay Area for the company jet?

- Ask HN: Can anyone from Google recommend Baer's for employee transportation?

- Ask HN: PS3 or XBox 360 in the break room?

- Ask HN: How do I let my wife know I've slept with my EA?

tptacek5• 16 years ago

- Ask HN: Got Ramen Profitable. Then TGI Fridays Profitable. Then Prime House Profitable. Now French Laundry Profitable. What next?

jasonlbaptiste2• 16 years ago

Hookers and blow profitable of course.

crystalis• 16 years ago

Alinea Profitable. El Bulli Profitable. El Bulli in Spring Profitable.

daeken2• 16 years ago

Ask HN: How do I scale my mansion while minimizing the walking distance from one side to the other?

philwelch• 16 years ago

Fun fact: the Pentagon was designed as a solution to that problem (well, for an office building, not for a mansion).

MikeCapone• 16 years ago

- Ask HN: When I get invited to Larry and Sergei's xmas party, what should I wear?

daeken2• 16 years ago

Of equal importance:

- Ask HN: What should I have my chefs prepare for my dinner party with Larry and Sergie?

jeffbarr2• 16 years ago

Should I drive my Ferrari or my other Ferrari?

waterlesscloud• 16 years ago

This is by definition not a Maserati Problem.

patio11• 16 years ago

Ask HN: Got nothing to do this week. Anything good on TV?

shughes• 16 years ago

Ask HN: I'm going on my first date with a real girl. But my only formal attire is a Red Voyager Star Trek uniform. Should I spend money on formal clothing, or will my Star Trek uni be reasonable?

angkec• 16 years ago

It should be fine

jjs• 16 years ago

For formal occasions, wear your Starfleet Dress Uniform.

daniel-cussen• 16 years ago

What's an EA?

spicyj• 16 years ago

Executive assistant, I believe.

cperciva• 16 years ago

Ask HN: How do I get started as an angel investor?

MicahWedemeyer• 16 years ago

Hilarious. We use it amongst ourselves, but I didn't realize Brian had actually submitted it to the Urban Dictionary.

I tend to use it as a blanket answer to questions about extreme scaling. It's a way to tell someone that they're focusing on a problem that is really not an issue at such an early stage of a startup.

Q: "Can Rails scale to 100 million unique visitors a month?" A: "That's a Maserati Problem. No matter what the answer, you'll be happy as hell to have that problem."

Note: This is the guy who submitted it: http://news.ycombinator.com/user?id=brianculler

Used in context: http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1275771

jamesbritt• 16 years ago

Or, as Martin Mull might put it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVfYos--B_c#t=02m17s

Eliezer• 16 years ago

Flip side: Y2K was a Maserati problem in 1990.

sbov• 16 years ago

Not exactly. By 1990 Y2K was an inevitability. However, the Maserati may never come.

nopassrecover• 16 years ago

Agreed but by the same token your company/software from 1990 would probably not be around in 2000.

I get the impression "Maserati problems" (not quibbling about the definition, but from a "should I care about this" stance) are those for which the cost of focusing on them now is greater in impact terms than leaving it until later.

Y2K was probably a Maserati problem at the time because if your software was going to be around for 10 years, the profits from it should easily cover the maintenance task of resolving the bug.

CoachRufus87• 16 years ago

i'll take a Maserati problem anyday

Maserati Problem

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