Modernnomad84

Buried toward the end of the essay is a suggestion to become a better writer. Wondering if anyone has learned to become a better writer, and if so, what was your approach?

How difficult was it to become a programmer with TopTal? How do you like working through them?

Curious if you could talk about the transition from FT to consulting? Specifically how you prepared and when you knew you had enough clients lined up to leave? Thanks!

This is so cool. Wish we saw more stuff like this on HN. Also liked the other projects you have listed on your site.

I think it's fair to say that this is 95% of people's first reaction to hearing about MMM or similar bloggers.

Here's something you can take away from MMM even if you don't agree with everything he says.

Based on your post, these are the things that are important to you (or at least a start):

- Newer car - owning a house over 300 sq. ft. - Traveling to Arizona to visit relatives.

Maybe there are a dozen or so other things that are important to you that you could add to that list.

Now open up your bank account and find out how much spending happens on stuff that isn't important to you. 50%? 80%?

If you can dial down the spending that doesn't make you happy or the spending you do that just out of habit then you would be able to do more that does matter to you... nicer house, nicer car, more frequent and longer trips to AZ.

I just wanted to mention that MMM sometimes rubs me the wrong way too. A more analytical approach that I found more thorough and more intriguing is at "Extreme Early Retirement" here:

http://earlyretirementextreme.com/

His book is especially interesting.

Granted, the author of this book is quirky and ends up doing a lot of work that you could hire someone to do for $10 an hour. But the author stressed that- at least for him- he'd rather spend his team mending clothes or fixing his bike that being in academia (his prior career).

I totally agree with this. 2x per week I play a game of soccer after work and then grab dinner with friends. By the time I get home around 9pm I could easily do another stretch of work.

On the days when I don't switch gears, there would be no way I could do focused work for more than an hour or two.

Honestly, if I ever really wanted to do a computer-based startup, I would leave my 9-5 job and do landscaping or something physical during the day. I don't think it's realistic to ask your body to be in front of a computer for 12 hours a day.

Awesome article.

You can research this a bit more by googling for 'white labelling' and see what kinds of issues you may come across. I think if you have a good contract in place and work out who is going to be doing the customer service, you might be able to figure something out that works for both of you.

This is one of those instances where it isn't a zero-sum game, and you and the reseller can both benefit.

"The only way to keep up is to simply get ‘er done." Agrrrrrreed.

It's not a business without revenue, it's a hobby. If I were you, I'd look at lucrative niches and find out how you can do it better or cheaper or just as good and just grab some market share.

As a graduate of CS, you have a mind that functions in a unique way. If you set your mind to water delivery, a dry cleaner, or real estate, you would likely approach it in a way that few of your competitors do. Capitalize on that.

If you have to 1. create the market and then 2. create a business on top of it, you are making twice the work for yourself.

Thanks guys and please let me know your thoughts on cookie stuffing. It's a pretty contentious subject.

where can i find a sub 1000 porsche?

Great f-in idea. Do it.

Having the "Three More Hours" feature implemented wouldn't effect the strategy of putting your highest bid in. You could still win with proxy bidding the same way you always have been able to before.

All the feature would do would kill the last-minute folks. Nothing more, nothing less.

All of the "bid and forget it" folks (i envy your discipline) still win if you value it more than the next guy.

Shit. Thats cool. Ok, five minutes is more than fine.

I don't disagree. The best approach is to always put your maximum bid in. But human nature plays a big part in auctions, and I think ebay should note this.

It seems that most people, given 3 hours to think about and consider the regret they would feel if they didn't get what they are bidding on, would usually convince themselves to skip a coffee and add another five dollars to their bid.

you are totally right, but humans are far from rational.

Yeah, i figure that they actually won't change anything. it's just striking how different ebay is from an actual auction. i had never been able to pinpoint what part of it was out of whack though.

eBay just holds it's "ending time" as some sort of holy grail. I really have no idea why.

Even if this was just a feature that sellers could opt for (for five bucks more or so), I think it would make a world of difference.